Lilian Seenoi-Barr has made history after becoming Northern Ireland’s first black mayor, and only the third on the island of Ireland.
She was installed as mayor of Derry City and Strabane at a special council meeting on Monday evening. Ms. Seenoi-Barr, who arrived in Londonderry 14 years ago as a refugee from Kenya, said it was an honour to become first citizen.
A crowd of about 300 people assembled inside the Guildhall to watch Ms. Seenoi-Barr receive the mayoral chain of office. Among those in attendance were family and friends of Ms. Seenoi-Barr, a delegation of Kenyan political representatives and members from various ethnic minority groups from across the island of Ireland.
Separately, the new lord mayor of Belfast is Councilor Micky Murray who describes himself as the first “openly gay” first citizen of the city. Mr. Murray, from the Alliance Party, said it was “an important milestone for my community”.
‘Build a new future’
It has been quite a journey from Ms. Seenoi-Barr’s native Narok in southern Kenya to Londonderry’s Guildhall.
Following her instillation as mayor, she said she came to the city in search of a better life.
“If you told me that I would become the first citizen of the second city, I would not have believed you,” she told the chamber.
Ms. Seenoi-Barr has been a councillor for the Foyleside ward since 2021 when she was co-opted by the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
A fall-out over the mayoral selection process, which led to two party colleagues resigning, and racist abuse including death threats followed the announcement of Ms Seenoi-Barr being chosen for the role.
She said the “anti-immigrant sentiment” that spread on social media was a “reminder of the issues we face as a community” but it was “not reflective of people in this district”.
“I have witnessed the warmth and kindness of the Derry that I know and have loved with all my heart, through the kindness of strangers and the outpouring of solidarity and support,” she said.
Ms. Seenoi-Barr said she was committed to working hard for the entire community.
She said she would be “one who is accessible and one who will lead with hope”.
“It is our time to build a more inclusive, prosperous and vibrant Derry City and Strabane District Council, under the banner of unity and progressive change,” she said.
“Thank you for your trust, your time and your support. Together let’s embrace our differences and build a new future together.”
Ms. Seenoi-Barr had already made history last year when she became the first black politician to be elected to any public office in Northern Ireland.
She retained her seat in the Foyleside ward with a victory in the 2023 election.
She came to Derry in 2010 with her son Brian and was granted refugee status.
Prior to that, her work in her native Kenya involved helping women and girls from the Massai tribe challenge the traditional tribal practices of early marriage and female genital mutilation.
It was work, she said, that came with “a lot of risk”.
That, coupled with the threats she had received, prompted Ms. Seenoi Barr to leave Kenya.
Her experience as a refugee led her to set up her own charity, the Northwest Migrants Forum, in 2012 which supports migrants and asylum seekers.
She was also involved in organizing the June 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Guildhall Square.
SOURCE: bbc.com