Cicely Belle Blain

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| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|26|2020|09|08}}{{Cite web |last=Mendez |first=Emma |date=2020-09-08 |title=Burning Sugar: A Q+A with Cicely Belle Blain |url=http://www.capilanocourier.com/2020/09/08/burning-sugar-a-qa-with-cicely-belle-blain/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Capilano Courier |language=en-US}}

| birth_place = London, United Kingdom

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Cicely Belle Blain is a poet and activist originally from England and now based in Canada.

Early life and education

Blain was born and raised in London{{Cite web |title=Cicely Belle Blain |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/upclose/cicely-belle-blain-1.4182285 |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=CBC Radio}} and is of Gambian Wolof, Jamaican and English heritage.{{Cite web|url=https://www.adler.edu/cicely-blain/|title=Cicely Blain|work=Adler University|accessdate=17 February 2025}} When they were in grade 6, Blain and their family moved to a small village in France. The family returned to England afterwards, and Blain attended secondary school in London.{{Cite web |last=Blain |first=Cicely Belle |date=2017-12-08 |title=How I came to cherish being femme on my own non-binary terms |url=https://xtramagazine.com/power/how-i-came-to-cherish-being-femme-on-my-own-non-binary-terms-82227 |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Xtra Magazine |language=en-CA}} They were awarded an International Leader of Tomorrow Award scholarship to study at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver,{{Cite web |last=Christmas |first=Jillian |date=2017-04-28 |title=In Conversation with Cicely-Belle Blain |url=https://roommagazine.com/whats-new/interview/in-conversation-with-cicely-belle-blain/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=ROOM Magazine |language=en-US}} graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in modern European studies and Russian in 2016.{{Cite web |title=How Cicely Belle Blain Teaches Anti-Racism From Their Living Room |url=https://www.thinkific.com/thinkific-examples/cicely-belle-blain-anti-racism/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Thinkific |language=en}} Blain also has a certificate in new media journalism from Simon Fraser University.{{Cite web |last=Cox Thomson |first=Alicia |date=2019-11-19 |title=Cicely Belle Blain Is Making “Diversity" and "Inclusion” More Than Just Buzzwords |url=https://fashionmagazine.com/flare/identity-politics/cicely-belle-blain/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=FASHION Magazine |language=en}}

Career

Before launching their own business, Blain worked with Qmunity, an LGBT resource centre in Vancouver. Blain co-founded founded Black Lives Matter Vancouver in 2016.{{Cite web |last=Thomson |first=Alicia Cox |date=2020-08-20 |title=Cicely Belle Blain Is Helping Canadians Unlearn Prejudice |url=https://chatelaine.com/living/trailblazers/cicely-belle-blain-keep-listening/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Chatelaine |language=en}} Blain is the CEO of the DEI consulting firm, originally called Cicely Blain Consulting and now called Bakau Consulting, which they launched in 2018. They offer workshops and courses such as “Intro to Racial Justice” and “Unlearning Anti-Blackness”.

Blain's debut book, a poetry collection titled Burning Sugar, was published in 2020.{{Cite news |date=2020-09-08 |title=Burning Sugar |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/burning-sugar-1.5716179 |access-date=2025-02-17 |work=CBC Books}}{{Cite news |date=2021-01-08 |title=Cicely Belle Blain explores Black identity and history through their powerful poetry |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/full-episode-jan-9-2021-1.5863563/cicely-belle-blain-explores-black-identity-and-history-through-their-powerful-poetry-1.5863592 |access-date=2025-02-17 |work=CBC Radio}} They are working on "a YA fantasy novel about black justice and queer love".

Personal life

Blain is non-binary and lives in Vancouver.

Works

Burning Sugar (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020){{Cite web |last=Mason Pierre |first=Terese |date=2020-11-16 |title=Review: Burning Sugar |url=https://quillandquire.com/review/burning-sugar/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Quill and Quire |language=en}}