Aïssa // POC Stories
I had always dreamt of being a journalist and reporter, but to value the narratives and voices of people we’re not used to hearing.
Passionate about writing, languages and photography, I decided to launch my blog, ‚POC Stories‘, in 2017, publishing on Facebook groups to find interviewees. I started off interviewing only Afro-descendent women, then Womxn of Color and, more recently, non-binar people. I also launched my Youtube channel ‚POC Stories‘.
What is most important to me is that people take ownership of their stories and tell them in their own words. The topics addressed are very diverse, depending on what the person wants to share and also on what I want to write.
This project is important to me as growing up in France, I always felt I was spoken for, being labelled as black Muslim woman, meaning a submissive woman wh is to be saved from patriarchal Muslim oppression.
I think that if we want things to change, it is up to us to launch initiatives, and so that’s what I have done. It doesn’t matter whether it works or not, the important things it to try.
The hardest part (about my work) is finding people willing to go public and face criticism. It’s discouraging, but I think it’s part of my role to take that fear out of our communities and empower our narratives.
Check out more about Aïssa and POC Stories on Instagram!