bout ye, maureen

Maureen is a mother to three young children and lives in Carrickfergus. She grew up nowhere near the sea. But when she moved to Ireland, it was just one of the things that she gravitated towards. Having lived in places that are not so inclusive, the sea has been the thing that has kept her.

A black woman, with braided hair, standing on a beach wearing a pink cardigan over a blue denim dress and she has a yellow beaded necklace on too. She is hold a round cut-out of an object from the Ulster Museum

We caught up with Maureen down by the sea because that's where she loves spending time. "The vastness of it makes me feel not so small, even though you think it would make me feel small. I feel part of the universe, part of something bigger than myself."

"As Black Women, you know, we create with our hair, we create with our makeup, our outfits. I sing. I feel very creative in my own ways."

A black woman, with braided hair, wearing a navy coat over a blue denim dress. She's bright jewellery on, necklace and earrings, and is smiling and laughing off into the distance.

Photo credit: Sam Patton

I just want everybody to know that you don't need to do anything to prove your worth. I wish I knew that as a child. And I think a lot of there are a lot of little boys in adult bodies and little girls in adult bodies that don't know that they're worthy because somebody didn't tell them. But you are worthy just by existence. When I learned this, it changed my life.

Text in black font saying 'we want to hear how you are' placed on a turquoise colour block background - and a second line of text saying 'and how we're doing too' also in black text on a yellow colour block background.

How can the Ulster Museum be better for you? The museum should hold space for people and put on events for diverse people to make them feel welcome. I know lots of Black people who have never been to the Ulster Museum.

In Northern Ireland, there's so much healing to be done. But the normalisation of not healing is so prevalent. I wish there was free mental health for everybody.