#afropunkweseeyou: simi moonlight

Name: Barbara Asiimwe Muhumuza, Better Known As: Simi
IG: @simimoonlight
Occupation: Writer, Mental Health Advocate, DJ // (My “real job” is in marketing though.)
Age: 24
Star Sign: Cancer

What inspired you to become an activist?
I don’t know if I would classify myself as an activist, but I definitely try to create and maintain safe community spaces for the people that engage with me. The inspiration from that stems from those around me — the people doing the work on the ground and online are people that truly want to see whole, fulfilled and safe communities.

Why is intersectionality important in Black community organizing and activism?
Without intersectionality, we can never honestly say we’ve included everyone in our fight for justice or our fight for anything. Intersectionality in organizing and activism is about more than being “inclusive” of everyone, it’s about creating foundations that can hold everyone up, with all of our heads held high. Kinship is something that’s critical to our survival and what’s a better example of kinship than ensuring that the one next to you, even if they differ from you, gets to live too?

Why is it important for the Black community to support each other in the fight for Black liberation?
Supporting each other is how we have stayed alive this long. To continue surviving and thriving, to be anywhere close to liberation, it’s critical that we support each other. It’s essential that we look beyond our conditioning and come together because once we do that, we can have anything.

What does We See You mean to you?
“We See You” means that I’m not judged and still loved for our I decide to present my Blackness into the world. Being seen means being protected and supported by those around me.