HELLO!’s 2022 Change-Maker Of The Year Vee Kativhu has opened up about Michelle Obama’s inspiring words to her, her friendship with Malala Yousafzai and her deeply personal journey.
DISCOVER: Meet the #HelloToKindness winners at the HELLO! Inspiration Awards 2022
Vee journeyed from Zimbabwe to London as a child who didn't speak a word of English before she went onto study at Oxford University and Harvard University. Making her mark on the world, she won over the hearts of young people through her ground-breaking educational YouTube channel and her book Empowered: Live your life with passion and purpose.
We invited Vee to the star-studded HELLO! Inspiration Awards which were created to highlight notable people whose talents have empowered and inspired others. Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai described the YouTuber's work as "a road map to following your dreams” at the glittering awards ceremony.
© Photo: HELLO!In an exclusive chat with HELLO!, Vee talked about former First Lady Michelle Obama's life-affirming words to her and the heartbreaking challenges she has faced that have only spurred her on to succeed…
At HELLO we are really passionate about kindness and the impact it can have. Who is the kindest celebrity you've ever met and why?
Vee: "Michelle Obama is so sweet and incredible. She is so warm and genuine, she is listening to you and genuinely talking rather than, 'Let's hurry up because I've got to go somewhere else.’ She's in that moment with you and you feel it. I don't know if that's something she's just practised or something she's been taught but whatever it is you feel it as a genuine thing.
"You don't feel, 'Oh, my God, it's Michelle Obama!' You're thinking, 'Oh my God, it's this amazing woman who believes in me.' She didn't know that much about me but she said, 'You want to go to Harvard and you want to do this kind of work? Yeah, you can do that!' This is before I'd even applied, she said, 'Come on, we need you!' So supportive and I thought, 'Oh, okay, yeah!'”
READ: Michelle Obama inspires women with moving message of self doubt at Get Her There event
© Photo: RexMichelle Obama champions education for women and girls
What was it like to be named the Changemaker of the Year at HELLO!’s Inspiration Awards and what do you think is your biggest achievement so far and why?
Vee: “It is such an honour. I definitely didn't expect it. It's nice when you're doing this kind of work and then people recognise you for it because it's not what you go into it for so it's a cherry on top, a bonus!
"I think definitely my organisation 'Empowered by Vee' is my biggest achievement. I'm really, really proud of that and the work that we do. That's been my biggest moment of pride and the book as well because those are two really big passion projects that I've poured a lot of my time and effort into. They feel like my children, so I feel they're my proudest to date for sure, because there is something that exists outside of you."
In terms of black beauty and inclusivity, how well-equipped do you find stylists in the UK?
Vee: "For day-to-day events that I'm invited to I do everything myself. When I do work with people, for photoshoots they're often not black hair stylists or black makeup artists, and that's hard because you then end up either doing it yourself or having to give a lot of instruction and it's not… It's not the most fun.
"I am on the hunt for a great stylist, hair person and makeup person because I think I'm now at that level and stage. And also, that's a great way to showcase amazing black talent… But so far it has been murky waters. I can't say, ‘Oh my gosh it's been all amazing experiences so far’ – it hasn't!"
How did you feel when Malala Yousafzai described your book as "dynamic and transformative and a road map to forming your dreams"?
Vee: "It was such a compliment because it's nice having friends who've also written books before, people who also walked down this path, so it’s amazing to hear that. I appreciate it. Hearing different people's feedback and just their reactions I thought, 'Oh, this is no longer something that just exists in my head. This is like something that other people have read and they think it's like, good?!' So that was so heartwarming – like a dream."
© Photo: Getty ImagesMalala and Vee are closer than ever
You have a very close bond with Malala Yousafzai, when did the two of you become so close?
Vee: "It was definitely at university and there is a mutual care about the same things and we're in the same boat in a way. The bond definitely came from that and just the universe is a crazy place, you know? You can find good friends that you go through it with and you're bonded for life aren't you?"
Which black beauty influencer from HELLO’s roundup should everyone be following?
Vee: "For me @melissaswordrobe, she's amazing, she's more in the fashion industry, but she still does a lot of beauty work. She's great because she is just unapologetic about what she likes and she's not feeling there's a mould that she has to follow. I like that. I really like that."
MORE: 5 Black beauty content creators you should be following on Instagram
Which notable Black women, celebrities, and people do you celebrate?
Vee: "There are people like Malorie Blackman, Afua Hirsch, Naomi Campbell, my mom, and there are some people that I've seen throughout the community doing amazing work that some people might not even know of. It is great to see people like that who are existing loudly. These are black writers, these are black models, these are black influencers - people will do amazing stuff.
"Just by their presence alone to showcase what they're up to is encouraging so many young black girls and women around the UK to be true to themselves.
© Photo: InstagramVee credits her mother for her positivity and strength
"Naomi Campbell is one of the greatest models of our time and she is still doing it after so many years and it's amazing to see how far her talent reaches. For so many young women and girls in the fashion space, they're looking to her and thinking, 'Wow, she's doing it and she hasn't had to change herself to do this.’ The biggest thing that inspires me when I'm seeing these people like Afua Hirsch and Malorie Blackman in their spaces because: 'Oh, wow you'll be vocal about who you are. You're being vocal about what you want and need, and you're not giving into these narratives of difficult black women.'
READ: Naomi Campbell gives sweet update on rarely seen daughter
"They're standing strong within who they are and that makes me want to show up as my full self all the time and not dial it down for anyone or anything. That's the important thing, existing loudly as their authentic selves, and that's an inspiring thing to me."
What would be your advice to anyone coming from another country?
Vee: "Speak to people. Sometimes in our minds we feel like we're in a battle on our own and we have to figure everything out on our own. You might talk to someone who's coming from Pakistan or from Australia but they might still relate to the experience, it might not be the same country but they might relate. You should lean on people around you. You start saying what you need and want, and even if that person can't do it, they might know someone who knows someone who can. So it goes beyond just the people that you can immediately see."
MORE: Charlotte Tilbury x The Prince's Trust's life-changing project
What's the biggest challenge you have faced as a young Black woman and how did you overcome it?
Vee: "The biggest challenge I faced growing up was when I decided I wanted to go to a place like Oxford, and having the passion to do it, but my teacher being the one that stopped that. That was definitely such a difficult point in my life because I thought, what is wrong with the world?
"A young person just walked up to you, they've got a plan in place, they're so excited and eager and you just shut it down with the words, 'No, it's not for someone like you.' And then I didn't end up applying, right? A whole year went by and that was eating me up and it's only by chance that I decided to then use that as my ammunition to go full force online. "But not every student's going to do that, you know? I mean, not every student has to do that. We don't need our students to be jumping through hoops of fire and cheerleading for you to get their attention. No, I should just be able to come to school, say I had an idea and the teacher say, okay, let's try to make it work.
"We should not have to fight tooth and nail to be seen. For me as a young black person at that time, I thought, why does the world hate me? What have I done? I'm just passionate and want to learn and you are not even going to support or at least even try to support it? And the thing that I always tell people is that that teacher doesn't even realise that it's her! I remember seeing her one time at a shopping mall and she went: 'Ah I'm so sorry for what's going on. You know, these teachers are crazy...' I'm thinking, how do you not know it's you, right?
"And that just shows the fact that it was such an offhand flippant comment for her, it was just the same as 'I'm just going to get coffee.' She said something that completely shattered my world. I'm still talking about it six, seven years later.
READ: Malala Yousafzai's act of kindness at university revealed
© Photo: InstagramVee went on to graduate from Oxford University with Malala
"People in positions of power - teachers, role models, parents - they have to think carefully about what they say to young black people because we don't have anyone else that's going to say 'yes'. If you say 'no', it means no. That would be my hardest moment, but also my message is let's hold young people with care and understand that when they come to us with an idea that's bravery in itself already. So, for you to then shatter it, they might never recover from that."
READ: The Diana Award's Tessy Ojo 'The race conversation needs to happen in all households'
How do you think we can keep the conversation going outside Black History Month?
Vee: "It should be Black History Month all the time because Black History Month is supposed to be celebrating and uplifting black voices, black culture, and black influencers. For me, in my personal experience and journey, black influence and black culture and black excellence is around all the time.
"Learning to stop and listen, understand, observe and give space and uplift and empower black voices is important. If you can learn to do that in Black History Month, great, carry on for the rest of the time, because there is always a necessity for that, because even if it's in your workplace, people are not crediting ideas to black people. People are not acknowledging black struggles or their walk or the little things that turn into big things, like microaggressions.
"If you really want to help celebrate Black History Month, this is the time for you to educate yourself. Listen, because this is probably the time when there are the most resources and materials out there that people are highlighting. Take it all in and use that as stock for the rest of the year to be a genuine ally. The conversation should be every month."
DISCOVER: 10 inspiring and engaging Black History Month books for UK kids and teens
What is next for Empowered?
Vee: "We're trying to turn it into a charity so that it has official legitimisation. I've always been doing it as an idea in my head, in my bedroom but not, it's bigger than that now. Even though it's going to be a long journey because Charity Commission does not play, it's important that we do things the proper way and I owe that to the students and audience that we serve for them to be able to have something legitimate to fall back on.”
© Photo: InstagramVee's was thrilled to see 'Empowered' in print
What would you say is the most important reason for having a role model, particularly a black role model as a child?
Vee: "It is important because if you see it, then you think you can be it. For a lot of young people, they're not at that stage or place where they feel 'Oh, just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it can't be done.’ That takes a lot of work and a lot of time for it to come, and before that happens, you need to feel you're safe, loved, seen and heard. So if you can see someone who's walked a similar path, that validates you, makes you feel, you know, empowered, then you're going to want to do it.”
READ: Davina McCall and Dame Kelly Holmes among the winners of HELLO!'s Inspiration Awards 2022
DISCOVER: 12 Black-owned brands to shop for Black Pound Day, from fashion to home decor
What do you think publications can do, and online magazines can do, for their part, to help achieve a hopeful future for young people and people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented backgrounds?
Vee: "They need to show the realness, of life, of being a woman. It is not every day that we have to look like super perfect models, because sometimes those models don't even look like themselves. Now people are aspiring for a visual that doesn't even exist. "Can we start celebrating and embracing what the world actually looks like? Let's start shining light on some of our heroes that are not exactly dazzling, with five million followers, but people who are inspiring people in the communities. They never get a light shone on them.
"I'd love one day to be able to look at a cover and be like, 'Oh my gosh that could easily be me.'"
Like this story? Sign up to our HELLO! newsletters to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
