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Shola Mos-Shogbamimu

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Shola Mos-Shogbamimu
Born
Adeshola Babington-Ashaye

London, England
Education
OccupationPolitical commentator
Notable workThis Is Why I Resist (2021)
Children3
Websitewww.drshola.com

Adeshola Mos-Shogbamimu (née Babington-Ashaye) is a British-Nigerian lawyer and academic, notable as an activist and political commentator. She frequently comments on women's rights, law, politics, diversity, inequality and exclusion.[1] Her debut book, This is Why I Resist, was described in The Telegraph as "an unapologetic declaration that black identity will no longer be defined by white supremacy, and an unfettered call to action to revolutionise the narrative around the black experience in our day-to-day lives."[2]

Early life and education

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Adeshola Babington-Ashaye was born in Hackney, London to Nigerian parents. She was raised in London, Nigeria, and the United States, and lived in East Africa when her mother was working for the Commonwealth of Nations.[2] Speaking of how she has been influenced by her Nigerian heritage, she has said: "My parents brought me up with a really strong identity of who I am and so I have never felt inferior due to the colour of my skin, being a woman or gender. I would use the word feminist to describe my father. He was the first male feminist I knew."[3]

At the age of 19 she obtained her first degree, an honours LLB, from the University of Buckingham, going on to earn an MA degree in diplomatic studies from the University of Westminster, an LLM degree in Commercial & Corporate Law from the London School of Economics, a PhD in law from Birkbeck, University of London, and an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge.[1][4]

Career

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Mos-Shogbamimu is an attorney in New York, and a solicitor in England and Wales.[2] She has worked in international finance.[5]

Role as commentator and impact

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In June 2020, Vogue magazine named Mos-Shogbamimu among "8 Educational Black Voices To Listen And Learn From Now".[6] She is the founder of the magazine Women in Leadership.[5][7][non-primary source needed] Mos-Shogbamimu appears on television as a commentator on issues related to politics, current affairs, race and diversity.[8][9] She has been particularly outspoken about what she perceives to be the negative media treatment of "women of colour" who are in the public eye, such as Serena Williams and Meghan Markle.[9][10] In 2019, Mos-Shogbamimu delivered a TEDx Talk entitled "This is why I resist", in which she explained why she refuses to be defined by the colour of her skin, her gender or religion, engaging her audience with her views on feminism and politics, and encouragement to join her "conscious revolution".[11][non-primary source needed] In March 2021, she engaged with Piers Morgan in a debate as a guest on Good Morning Britain, discussing the Oprah with Meghan and Harry interview.[12][13][14]

Responding to an incident publicized in April 2023 in which the 14th Dalai Lama kissed a child on the lips and asked the child to suck his tongue, Mos-Shogbamimu stated that child molestation must not be normalised under the guise of playful behaviour.[15][undue weight? – discuss]

Mos-Shogbamimu has drawn criticism for her remarks about Israel during the country's war against Hamas. In February 2024, the family of the Sage co-founder David Goldman withdrew their support from Newcastle University, following tweets by Mos-Shogbamimu the day before the university awarded her an honorary doctorate for her contributions to race equality and combatting discrimination. His family had launched the David Goldman endowment at the university's Business School in 2001, but ended its links with the institution after they chose not to take action over the tweets, which the family described as antisemitic. Mos-Shogbamimu had written on X: "I condemn the State of Israel with every fibre of my being, What is coming out of Gaza is incomprehensible. Scale of evil Israel is perpetrating against Palestinians is staggering. We must never forgive Israel for this. Just like Nazi Germany, one day justice will be served on it."[16]

The Goldman family's endowment had supported an academic Chair in Innovation and Enterprise, PhD students, 19 visiting professorships, and teaching resources named the David Goldman Teaching Cases. Goldman's son Daniel said: "It has been a very successful relationship for us, obviously focused mainly around the chair itself. In addition to the chair itself there is a series of visiting professors, also under the Goldman name. The university decided to honour Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu with an honorary doctorate of law for her work on racism. The day before the degree ceremony she tweeted out that basically Israel is like Nazi Germany - the first of a series of aggressive and antisemitic tweets, including attacking the Auschwitz Museum and again comparing Israel to Nazi Germany in 'honor' of International Holocaust Memorial Day." He added, "Two months later and after a meeting of the Senate of the university they have decided to take no action...We, the Goldman family, have now decided to withdraw our name from Newcastle University. We are doing so because of the inaction of the university following her repeated and aggressive comments."[16]

Writing on X in October 2024, Mos-Shogbamimu rebuked prime minister Sir Keir Starmer for his commitment to keeping Holocaust education on the school curriculum, saying "Why is it a National Ambition for Nazi Holocaust of White Jewish people to be 'critical part of every British student's identity' but not the Transatlantic Slave trade of Africans, Holocaust/Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing of Black people, Erasure of Black History, Colonisation & ongoing systemic racism, dehumanisation? White Supremacy. Why does Keir Starmer say Holocaust of Jews must never be repeated but arms & supports the Holocaust of Palestinians by Israel? White Supremacy." She described Starmer as a "Zionist Political Prostitute who will trade the lives, liberties & livelihoods of Black & Brown people in a heartbeat". Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who had previously provided an endorsement of her book, distanced himself from Mos-Shogbamimu's comments.[17]

The same month, she stated on X, "Israel is a shit stain on the human race. That's the tweet." Following a "wave of backlash" online, she stood by her comment: "I. Stand By. Every. Word." Referring to "the monstrous evil apartheid terrorist state of Israel", Mos-Shogbamimu wrote, "I unapologetically and unequivocally stand with the Palestinians, a persecuted minority, who Israel is committing a holocaust against."[18]

Publication

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Her first book, This Is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity, was published in January 2021. It aimed to address the nuances and intricacies of "race, racism and race inclusion" terminology.[19]

Death threats

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On 20 February 2023, Mos-Shogbamimu reported that she had received a "chilling" letter, ostensibly from the proscribed neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action, that contained death threats directed at her and her family,[20] the same day that transgender television personality India Willoughby reported receiving a similarly threatening letter from the same group. The following day, it was announced that the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command had launched an investigation into the threats.[21]

Personal life

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Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is married and has three daughters.[5] She is a Christian.[2][4]

Bibliography

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  • This Is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity, London: Headline, 2021, ISBN 978-1472280763.

References

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  1. ^ a b "In Conversation With Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu". London School of Economics. 27 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Fawehinmi, Yolanthe (27 January 2021). "Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu: 'I have an allergic reaction to discrimination'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  3. ^ Joses, Joy (7 February 2021). "Spotlight on the woman behind the resistance: Dr Shola Mos Shogbamimu". Melan. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu". Cross-Border. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. ^ "8 Educational Black Voices To Listen And Learn From Now". Vogue. 4 June 2020. Archived from the original on 12 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. ^ "About Us". Women in Leadership Publication. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Dr Shola Mos Shogbamimu". TheSpeakersAgency Blog. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. ^ a b Richardson, Hollie (16 January 2020). "Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has a message for anyone who still doesn't 'get' white privilege". Stylist. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  10. ^ Berrington, Katie (18 January 2021). "From Tuktok to TEDX talks, how Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is demanding change". net-a-porter.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  11. ^ This why I resist | Shola Mos- Shogbamimu | TEDxLeicesterWomen. TEDx Talks. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ McCormack, Kirsty (8 March 2021). "GMB guest slams Piers Morgan for being a 'liar and a disgrace' and refuses to let him speak". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  13. ^ Adejobi, Alicia (8 March 2021). "Piers Morgan denies his white privilege as 'race-baiting nonsense' as he's slammed for Meghan and Harry comments". Metro. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  14. ^ * Isobel Lewis, "Piers Morgan branded a 'petty, fragile man baby' by GMB guest over Meghan Markle comment", The Independent, 22 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Dalai Lama: The significance of 'tongue greetings' in Tibetan culture". The Independent. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  16. ^ a b Ford, Coreena (29 February 2024). "Newcastle University benefactors withdraw support amid antisemitism row". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  17. ^ Bell-Cross, Lorin (11 October 2024). "Exclusive: Foreign Secretary distances himself from controversial author over Israel comments". The JC. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  18. ^ Prinsley, Jane (16 October 2024). "Activist honoured for work on 'combating discrimination' calls Israel 'sh*t stain on human race'". The JC. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  19. ^ Mahon, Leah (23 January 2021). "Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu on her book This is Why I Resist". The Voice. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu shares death threat from neo-Nazi group in chilling letter". ITV. 21 February 2023. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  21. ^ Rufo, Yasmin; Sandford, Daniel (21 February 2023). "Neo-Nazi threats probed by anti-terrorism police". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
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