She’s Bold, Brilliant, and Black: Meet Princess Avianne Charles

Hi, I'm Princess Avianne Charles, a writer and workers' rights activist based in Trinidad and Tobago. I serve as the Project Lead for the Redefining Work Series with Caribbean Feminist and a Co-National Coordinator for the Trinidad and Tobago Climate Network. 

What experiences in your life have helped you to become the bold woman you are today?

The experiences that have helped me become the bold woman I am today are based on the people with whom I've built community and systems of care. Fostering spaces with women has empowered me to be more vocal in my passions and values. I've become a part of feminist spaces and organizations such as Caribbean Feminist, Feminitt, and GirlsCARE that motivated me to speak up and reinforced that I deserve to be heard and represented. 

Who were your role models growing up and how did they influence your path?

Role models that I've identified with while growing up include my mother and Noname (the rapper). My mother has always played a pivotal role in my bold, empathetic, and resilient nature. I've seen her speak up and stand firm in her values countless times, which reassured me that as women, we shouldn't be ashamed of our vocality. As for Noname, she highly influenced my passion for writing and community organizing. It began with learning more about her book club (Noname Book Club) and the readings of the month. This led me onto the path of a journalist, with a focus on workers' rights and community care. I think that Noname's work had a pivotal role in shaping my activism and understanding of what community work and care represents. Both women’s intentional efforts towards care and community have shaped who I am today. They've influenced my path to serving as a community organizer and activist, centering the rights of marginalized communities for safety, care, and resources. They've also shown me the importance of standing firm with my values. Notwithstanding that change always occurs, they've shown how as women it's expected that we're malleable - even at times when we shouldn't be. What I've learned from them is that we deserve to be heard, and represented, and to have spaces of care and support.

As a Black woman, have you faced any unique challenges that have impacted your journey?

A challenge that largely impacted my journey was my experience with workplace discriminatory practices. Being a Black woman at some workplaces led to an increasing deal of mistreatment, verbal abuse, and disenfranchisement. There were key points where this drastically impacted my mental health and functioning both in and out of the workplace. I didn't feel safe in some of the spaces where I worked, which led me to take more action to stand against unsafe work practices that can negatively impact the well-being of workers.

How do you want your life and work to impact your community and the world?

The hope that I have for my life and work on impacting communities is to be a greater influence for worker solidarity.

What advice would you give to other Black women about owning their brilliance in spaces that attempt to dim their light? 

I was told many times that I was too much. I encountered many attempts to silence me, to make me feel small, and to deter my efforts of community care and solidarity. I've faced countless occurrences of projections onto my being without the person making the intentional effort to know me. I think that some identified me as a threat simply because I'm a Black woman who stood tall and firm in myself, my values, and my passion for the community. What pushes me to this day to continue is the affirmation that I deserve to be here. So what I'd say to other Black women on owning their brilliance in spaces that attempt to dim their light is to stand tall and remind yourself that you too deserve to be here. You deserve to take up space. You deserve to be represented. You deserve to find and foster community. Your light has a place where it is valued and no one has the right to dim that from you.

How can our readers connect with you online?

Readers can connect with me online via Instagram at @_avianne_ and view more on my work at @caribbeanfeminist (Caribbean Feminist) and @tnt_cn (Trinidad and Tobago Climate Network).