Adeshola Mos-Shogbamimu (' 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. Her debut book, ''This is Why I Resist'', was described in ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' as "an unapologetic declaration that black identity will no longer be defined by

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...

, and an unfettered call to action to revolutionise the narrative around the black experience in our day-to-day lives."

Early life and education

Adeshola Babington-Ashaye was born in Hackney, London. 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 The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

. 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." At the age of 19 she obtained her first degree, an honours LLB, from the

University of Buckingham , mottoeng = Flying on Our Own Wings , established = 1973; as university college1983; as university , type = Private , endowment = , administrative_staff = 97 academic, 103 support , chance ...

, going on to earn an MA degree in Diplomatic Studies from the

University of Westminster , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

, an LLM degree in Commercial & Corporate Law from the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

, a PhD in Law from

Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...

, and an Executive MBA from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Career

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

Role as commentator and impact

In June 2020 ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine named her among "8 Educational Black Voices To Listen And Learn From Now". She is the founder of the magazine ''Women in Leadership''. She appears on television as a commentator on issues related to politics, current affairs, race and diversity. 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 Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...

and

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family and former actress. She is the wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles III. Meghan was ...

. 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". 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. Responding to an incident publicized in April 2023 in which the

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

kissed a child on the lips and asked the child to suck his tongue, Mos-Shogbamimu stated that child molestation must not be normalized under the guise of playful behavior.

Publication

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.

Death threats

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 herself and her family, 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 The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

's counter-terrorism command had launched an investigation into the threats.

Personal life

Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is married and has three daughters. She is a Christian.

Bibliography

* ''This Is Why I Resist: Don't Define My Black Identity'', London: Headline, 2021, .

References

External links

* * Isobel Lewis
"Piers Morgan branded a 'petty, fragile man baby' by GMB guest over Meghan Markle comment"
''The Independent'', 22 February 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mos-Shogbamimu, Shola 21st-century British non-fiction writers Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of Buckingham Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of Westminster Black British activists Black British women writers British people of Nigerian descent British political commentators Living people Year of birth missing (living people)