I have been in the RAF for just over two years, and I would say that it is only in the last 6 months that I have begun to feel more comfortable in my own skin as a black female of West African heritage and a Christian.
The truth is that wherever I go, I am always the only black female and/or the only Christian, and in my first year and a half in the military I really struggled with this. I prayed about this and in October 2022, I was invited to the Ethnic Minority Black History Month.
I hadn’t realised how much I was struggling until I got there. Being with people who looked like me was such a relief. Eating the sort of food I had eaten every day before joining the military made me feel so at home.
I still struggled after this, but knowing there were individuals in and around the RAF feeling how I felt gave me comfort. I also stayed connected with these individuals.
In Aug 2023, I attended the Defence Gospel Worship Retreat at Beckett House, Shrivenham, and it was at this point that my experience completely changed.
True family for me is being surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ, whom I can fellowship with and learn from, supporting each other through prayer and with love; I had finally found this. It was truly a testimony and till this day I am still grateful to God for helping me find my tribe.