A post by Peter Jordens:

As previously reported https://repeatingislands.com/2020/09/30/shortlisted-for-harpers-bazaar-netherlands-woman-of-the-year-2020, three women with Caribbean roots appeared on the shortlist for Harper’s Bazaar Netherlands’ Woman of the Year 2020: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Samira Rafaela, and Zadie Smith. Samira Rafaela has won one of the six award categories: the International Award.

A statement on Harper’s Bazaar Netherlands’ website https://www.harpersbazaar.com/nl/women-of-the-year/a34984853/woman-of-the-year-2020-samira-rafeala says: “This progressive, liberal, feminist Muslim Member of the European Parliament has roots in Curaçao. In recent years, Rafaela has focused on topics such as radicalization, terrorism and international trade. She now uses her influence to screen legislation so as to ensure that the interests of minority groups are not forgotten. In addition, not unimportantly, she advocates for more women in top positions in the European Union. Rafaela is the right woman to stand up for the physical and financial health of everyone during the corona pandemic, including in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.” [Translated from the Dutch original by Peter Jordens]

On her Facebook page, Rafaela writes: “Today I received the International Woman of the Year 2020 award. The jury: “Samira is someone who understands the need for a diverse political discourse, including the Caribbean part of our Kingdom. The jury has high hopes for her future”. I am deeply honored and consider this as recognition of the work I have done so far in the European Parliament, by representing European citizens and the Dutch Kingdom as a whole. Being a politician is not always an easy task and this recognition gives me a lot of energy. I am very grateful to all the people who are supporting me and everyone who voted for me, including those from the Caribbean part of the kingdom!” https://www.facebook.com/SamiraRafaelaD66 (December 16, 2020)

For more about Samira Rafaela (1989), who is “the daughter of a Jewish Curaçaoan-Dutch mother, and a Ghanaian-Nigerian Muslim father”, go to https://samirarafaela.eu/en/about-samira and https://www.instagram.com/samrafaela.

Above photo from https://www.facebook.com/SamiraRafaelaD66