Claire Sivier

Claire Sivier
07/06/1985
London, England

I am a woman, a friend, a sister, a daughter. A Black person, a biracial person, a queer person. I am a multiplicity. Here, I am an immigrant, but I come from a second generation of immigrants (a Jamaican father and a French mother) in London. I feel I was shaped by the environment where I grew up, surrounded by friends from India, Morocco, Nigeria… My whole neighbourhood was like that. My friends were all children of immigrants. As a young person, even before knowing the word, I think I always understood the intersectionality of my experience, including in relation to other Black people. I understood that I am a Black person, but also that I have light skin, so my experience is different from that of other immigrants. I understood — and continue to understand — the privileged position I hold compared to dark-skinned Black people; I saw that difference clearly among close family members and, here in Portugal, I also recognise the privilege of holding a British passport.
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The “Black Women’s Walk” emerged from a personal need. It is an informal group of Black women and Black non-binary people who come together to enjoy nature and public spaces — places where our bodies are not usually expected — and it generally takes place once a month, alongside retreats and other outdoor activities. I was born into an environment with many Black people and, when I moved to Porto, I felt lonely and shocked because I did not regularly see Black people. But we are here, we are many; at the time, my experience was still deeply shaped by where I came from in London.
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I love when we walk near the water. Near the river, near the sea, because it is something deeply symbolic. Many of us are Atlantic peoples, and water is a point of connection between us, since we come from different nationalities within the group. When we walk by the river in Fontainhas, when we walk towards Foz do Douro, or when we pass through Miramar, that path, that water, creates a very important connection, and I feel we become calmer. It is a great privilege, because the river here in Porto is part of the city’s identity.
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My dream is to continue this resistance in the public sphere and for more people to join and feel at home within our group. Together, we feel safe and able to care for one another. I think that if I had not started the group or met my friends, I would no longer be in Portugal. When I created the group, I was alone, but it became very important to open it up and receive support from others who also wanted to help it grow. I realised it needed to remain open. That is why we are now a volunteer group, especially because I cannot — and should not — represent all Black people.
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