Arwa Michelle Mboya accepting the 2019 Bold Prize

Since winning the Bold Prize, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what the prize means to me and those around me. Sabrina’s name appearing in my inbox was one of the warm, fuzzy moments that I remember when I look back at that crazy time in my life. Everything was uncertain and relationships were strained. I remember feeling cold all the time, and my few interactions with Sabrina and her work around The Bold Prize gave me comfort.

It's not lost on me that Sabrina is a woman of color, and that, often, it takes one to know one. By that, I mean, it takes another woman of color to see, feel, empathize and take action on behalf of another woman of color because the nuances in our day to day struggles are not always visible, even though they are deeply sensory. Many women and men of all races joined Sabrina’s efforts in creating and donating to The Bold Prize and for that, I’m deeply grateful. But I’m even more grateful to my sisters who put in much more than time and money, by creating a Prize and putting their names and efforts behind it showing the true power of what happens when women come together.

After I wrote my article, a friend from the Media Lab sent me a short text that said: “balls of steel.” Others, however, thought I was crazy or misinformed. Many people believed I was a puppet acting on the command of my advisor. I remember questioning myself over and over again, asking, am I really that brave? Or am I just crazy?

For a woman, especially one with relatively little power within an institution, to speak her mind is either seen as really brave, really crazy or working at the will of some other, more powerful force within that institution. That shouldn’t be the case. Telling our truths, calling things out as we see them should not be either of those things, it should be the norm and the gaslighting that comes afterwards, the words that make you question your sanity and intentions, should be silenced.

That's why efforts like the Bold Prize are critical. The more we recognize the courage to do the things society has told us that we should not do, the less radical it becomes. The more it encourages others to do the same. The more it becomes standard practice in our culture.

When Sabrina asked me to help her reprise the award, there were already so many good names that came to mind as we have seen the roots of civic rebellion take place within many groups and organizations. Two Black women who worked at Pinterest, Ifeoma Ozoma and Aerica Shimizu Banks, lay their jobs on the line by speaking out about racism at idealized company, Pinterest. Another, Timnit Gebru, a thought-leader in the field of AI Ethics and a personal role model of mine, was unjustly fired from Google and refused to keep quiet about it. The three women have a lot in common: beyond being bold, beyond being beautiful, brilliant, Black women, they are truth tellers. Racist and patriarchal systems don't go away on their own. This world will never be ready for women & BIPOC leaders unless we knock down the doors in the same fashions that women like Rosa Parks and Wangari Maathai did, and women like AOC, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson and Malala Yousafzai are doing.

This year's winners embody boldness far more than I did last year. They were up against bigger institutions with more on the line. They did not keep silent in a year that has kept on taking, especially from the Black community. Nevertheless, they persisted and for that, we should thank them not only by donating to the Bold Prize and celebrating them where we can, but by committing ourselves to always speak truth to power.

Reflections on The Bold Prize & Celebrating Courage