THE Chief Executive of the North West Migrants Forum has made history as Northern Ireland’s first black mayor.
Lilian Seenoi Barr was installed as first citizen of Derry City and Strabane District Council before a packed Guildhall last night (June 3).
WATCH THE HISTORIC MOMENT HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPYPMLhcLY8
Among those there to witness the moment was a delegation of high ranking Kenyan Government officials including Councillor Barr’s brother, Senator Ledama Olekina.
Amason Kingi, Speaker of the Kenyan Senate, also made the trip while good wishes were sent on behalf of many of the country’s top political figures.
There was a standing ovation and prolonged round of applause as a packed Guildhall watched outgoing Mayor Patricia Logue hand over the Chain of Office to Councillor Barr.
The Migrants Forum Chief Executive used her acceptance speech to thank Councillor Logue for her year in office. She also thanked her family members in Derry and Kenya and in particular her husband Paul, her “absolute rock”.
“While the saying goes that behind every successful man is a strong woman, behind this woman stands a patient, thoughtful and kind man who would give the world to see me happy and achieve my goals. I am incredibly grateful for the love and care you have shown both to myself and our Brian. Your unwavering support has made it so much easier for me to step into my role as a councillor and now as the first citizen of Derry and Strabane District.”
Lilian Seenoi Barr is from a small Kenyan village in Narok County known as Ollombokishi. A member of the Maasai tribe, she was one of 14 children who grew up in a home “filled with love, unity, hard work and commitment to justice and freedom”, values she says she will carry forward into her service as mayor.
“My story in becoming both a Maasai woman and a Derry girl began back in 2010 when I came to this city in search of safety and a better life.
“If you had told me then that I would be seated here today as the mayor of the North’s second city, I don’t think I or anybody in my family would have believed you.
“Since I arrived, Derry has embraced me. It has granted me a family, a community and now the honour to serve as your first citizen.”
The announcement last month that Councillor Barr would make history as Northern Ireland’s first black mayor sparked a vicious backlash among some online contributors. She vowed though that the unpleasantness would not deter her from being a “mayor for all”.
“Of course there are some who have seen this history-making moment as a threat. And it is no secret that it has provoked anti-immigrant sentiment and intense abuse.
“That has been a reminder of the issues we face as a community. But I know that those sentiments find no home in Derry and they were not reflected by most people in our city and district.
“Instead, since I was appointed, I have witnessed the warmth and kindness of the Derry that I know and have loved with all my heart, through the kindness of strangers and the outpouring of solidarity and support.
“The Ireland I know and the Derry where I built my home is a welcoming and generous place where anyone, regardless of their background, can thrive.
“This is a city steeped in social justice, progress and protest in support of rights for all of our citizens.
“It is a place that makes history for the betterment of all. We follow in the footsteps of giants in this city. Giants including John Hume who once said ‘Difference is the essence of humanity, an accident of birth’.
“My appointment is a sign of that celebration of difference, of a changing Northern Ireland, one where the binaries of the past are breaking down.
“We are no longer just green and orange and we have a chance to make new choices and build a new united community, in all of our diversity.
“So I will not be deterred from working as hard as I can for my entire community.
“I will be a mayor for everyone, one who is accessible and one who will lead with hope.”
As per tradition, the mayor gets to nominate a charity. In Councillor Barr’s case, she has chosen BUD’s Club, a full-time youth-led educational and developmental project serving young people across the city and district.
She has also vowed to introduce the ‘Mayor’s Youth Network’, a bi-monthly initiative designed to inspire young people to assume leadership positions and prioritise their mental health and well-being.
“This program, inspired by our successful tea dances for older adults, will provide young people with opportunities to enjoy music, dancing, and entertainment. More importantly, it will create a supportive and informal setting where we can encourage open conversations about mental health.
“This is the mayor I want to be, one that ensures no one is left behind and that the next generation has more opportunities than the last.”
On her wider goals, she said she intends to use her year in office to focus on “unity, growth and the common good”.
“If we unite we can work towards ending poverty, attracting investment in our city and district, supporting our young people to achieve their full potential, creating good quality jobs, advocating for quality affordable homes, helping to end the long housing waiting list in our city and district, delivering play parks for our children and looking after our environment for the future.
“The North is changing, and we have a huge opportunity ahead of us as a city and a community to seize the potential of the future.
“This is our time as a city to build a more inclusive, prosperous and vibrant Derry City and Strabane District under the banner of unity and progressive change.”