Scotland’s first black supermodel will help educate schoolchildren about racism, identity and the history of the slave trade.
Edinburgh-born Eunice Olumide tells her story in a BBC film that will be shared as a learning resource in schools.
The 33-year-old, who has walked the catwalk for designers including Mulberry, Christopher Kane and Harris Tweed, grew up in Wester Hailes and tells her story alongside 12-year-old English schoolboy Lore who, like Eunice, has Nigerian roots.
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Eunice told our sister title the Sunday Mail: “Where I grew up, there wasn’t anybody who looked like me at all. I was probably the first black person a lot of people had met.
“It was a bit difficult because I did kind of get picked on a lot because of the colour of my skin.
“But I was really lucky because my mum was amazing and she believed in me and she taught me it’s so important to love yourself.
“Things started to change around about the age of 15 for me. I was scouted by a model agent.
“I was coming from a background where I’d had really bad experiences because of the colour of my skin.
“Actually, people thought I looked great or I looked amazing, which to me was so unusual and so strange and it built my confidence so much.”
Teachers are being encouraged to use the film to educate youngsters on topics ranging from the transatlantic slave trade to the lack of black people in history books or on television.
Eunice, who was awarded an MBE in 2017 for her contribution to arts, broadcasting and charity work, revealed she had been deeply torn about accepting the honour.
She said: “When I first found out about the MBE, I was so overwhelmed. I could not believe it. Then I was kind of confused because it didn’t suit what I stand for.
"I don’t agree with the Empire and some of the things they were involved in, such as the slave trade. So, for me, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be part of that.
“I went to my family and I asked my mum and she talked to me about the sacrifices her generation made.
"She talked to me about the sacrifices of generations before her. And she talked to me about legacy. In the end, what I decided to do was to accept the MBE but to donate it to the National Museum of Scotland.
“I decided to donate it there so everybody – schoolkids, adults, anybody who went to the museum – could see it.
“Most importantly, I wanted people to discuss empire and to discuss how much the past affects the future and what we can all do to move forward in a way that helps everybody and is fair to everybody.”
Four years on from being presented with the honour by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, she has set up her own social enterprise, the African Diaspora Business Support Fund charity, to support the Afro-Caribbean community in the UK.
She is campaigning to reform the school curriculum in Scotland to give a robust account of Afro-Scottish Caribbean history.
The five-minute film featuring Eunice and Lore is shared on the BBC Teach platform, as part of the corporation’s learning resources for schools.
Eunice added: “I’m delighted to have finally rolled out my new initiative in collaboration with BBC Teach into UK schools.”
