#83: Launching ’The Space between Black & White’ during a pandemic with Esua Goldsmith

Welcome to the second in a new series of episodes in which we are talking to women making a difference in this time of Covid-19. Today Ziada and Mary Ann talk with Esua Goldsmith author of a new memoir, The Space between Black and White about writing and publishing a book about her own life, why it was so important to her to share the story of being mixed race and how that has impacted her and the challenges of launching a book in the context of this pandemic. Esuantsiwa Jane Goldsmith is a writer, feminist activist and development consultant of English – Ghanaian heritage. In 1975 she was the first woman of colour to be elected President of Leicester University Student’s Union, while in 2001 she became the first woman of colour to be elected Chair of the Fawcett Society. In 1977-9 Esua served as one of the first black volunteers to be sent on Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in Tanzania. During her career she has acted as Commissioner for the Women's National Commission, Chair and Co-Founder of the Gender and Development Network, Vice-Chair of ActionAid UK, a Trustee of the Equality and Diversity Forum and a member of the UK Government delegation to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. After reconnecting with her Ghanaian father and heritage in her 40s, she was enstooled as Queen Mother of Development of her village in Cape Coast, Ghana, in 2009. You can find Esua via https://www.esuantsiwagoldsmith.com/ and purchase the book from Jacaranda Press: https://www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk/collections/jacaranda-imprint/products/the-space-between-black-and-white (please buy directly from Jacaranda if you can as independent publishers like them need support especially during this pandemic).