Donna Ali

The founder of BE.Xcellence, (Black and Ethnic Excellence C.I.C)
donna ali black history wales management committee

Active organiser for Black Lives Matter, Cardiff and the Vale, raising awareness of racial discrimination and hate crimes.

 

I am a Welsh, mixed-race woman, my Bangladeshi grandmother married my African American grandfather, and after recently undertaking a DNA test, finding out about my true heritage has helped shape my identity and join the dots for my family members in the USA.

 

My Bangladeshi grandfather owned the first Indian Restaurant in Tiger Bay, so my family has a rich history in the business. Following my grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit, I have enjoyed over 20 years in the business industry. Pioneering some of Cardiff’s first businesses, specifically developed for children such as; Little Miss Makeover, which quickly received national acclaim, resulting in the business being modelled throughout the UK. Little Miss Makeover ran for 16 years and became a household name throughout Cardiff and surrounding areas. I also established the first hair salon in Cardiff City Centre, dedicated to children, which raised funds for the education of children in rural India and contributed to providing educational equipment to a school in Lagos, West Africa. During my hairdressing career, I identified a gap in the market for a hair extension product, which I went on to manufacture and sell in many countries around the world.

 

After an exciting career as an entrepreneur, I have spent the past six years in education, graduating in 2020 with a 2.1 in Health and Social Care. Where I learned about citizenship, inequality and social mobility. My contempt for racial discrimination within education encouraged me to write a life skills-based programme, called Level Up, which aims to help young people, understand their rights and responsibilities as a citizen so they can better navigate their way through the current social construct. I have also created citizenship lesson plans for KS2 pupils, called “Super Citizens” which will teach children about various Welsh Government Acts, such as the Equality Act 2010, working towards the Future Generations Act 2015.

 

I have been an active organiser for Black Lives Matter, Cardiff and the Vale, raising awareness of racial discrimination and hate crimes. I recently became a member of the (SIAG) Strategy Independent Advisory Group, with South Wales Police, with the aim of improving community cohesion.

I am currently the founder of BE.Xcellence, (Black and Ethnic Excellence C.I.C) which is a Community Interest Company, a movement of affirmative action.

 

Our mission is to be a conduit of equity for the Black and Ethnic Communities to increase social mobility.

 

I am the Co-founder of; The B.O.M.B which amplifies, Black Owned Minority Businesses in South Wales, using various applications, one of which is hosting a weekly show entitled: The BOMB on Radio Cardiff.

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