Learning to Take Up Space: How I Stopped Making Myself Smaller to Fit In

In this episode of Wait, I’m Black?!, Michael sits in conversation with Fizza Qureshi – CEO of a migration charity, campaigner, and mother of two. Growing up as a Pakistani girl in a predominantly white working-class area in the UK, Fizza reflects on the subtle and overt ways race shaped her childhood long before she had language for it. From school experiences and neighbourhood hostility to feeling pressure to hide parts of her identity in order to fit in, she explores what it means to grow up learning how not to stand out. This conversation touches on belonging, racialisation, assimilation, and the journey of reclaiming identity – not only for yourself, but for the next generation. If you would like to follow the journey, you can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram (@wibpodcast). And if you – or someone you know – has a “Wait, I’m Black?!” moment you’d like to share, you are welcome to reach out.