“All that I do is motivated by my desire to defend ideas of social and gender equality in the public sphere and denounce the systemic institutional racism and sexism in my country,” Rokhaya Diallo tells me of what unites her many endeavours. A household name in France, she’s an acclaimed journalist, community activist, director, researcher and author. And yet, when regularly invited on national TV and radio panels for her incisive analysis, more often than not, her contributions to these debates are met with vitriolic reactions from fellow guests: outraged politicians and intellectuals, and their noisy supporters on social media.

“I genuinely think my existence is unbearable to them,” offers Diallo on her detractors’ uproar. “They were brought up with the conviction that their ideas and opinions are more important than mine – an educated, dark-skinned, Black French woman. In their eyes I am not qualified to shred their racist, homophobic and misogynist views to pieces. Luckily, I enjoy being combative and do not feel intimidated by the ‘old boys' club’s bravado and lack of etiquette.”

This powerhouse speaks from experience having had a working-class upbringing in Paris in a multicultural setting. She went on to study International and European law before gaining a masters in marketing and distribution in the audiovisual industry at Sorbonne-Pantheon in the noughties. “I feel privileged to have gained access to a great education thanks to the bursary system at a time when they were less available to ethnic minorities,” she reflects. “However, it is also in these predominantly white and privileged environments that my Frenchness was regularly questioned and doubted. That’s when I started to educate myself, got involved in local politics and joined feminist and antiracist associations.”

After a stint into the corporate world, Diallo worked in youth TV for almost a decade. A diehard anime fan, she also co-founded Japan Expo, the world’s largest convention on Japanese popular culture. Nevertheless, it was her staunch activism that truly revealed Diallo to the public eye. In 2007, irritated by the daily racism they were subjected to, Diallo and her peers founded The Indivisibles; a self-proclaimed group of activists whose goal was “to deconstruct, notably through humour and irony, ethno-racial prejudices and, first and foremost, that which denies or devalues the French identity of non-white French people”. Notably, it has hosted annual award ceremonies denouncing public figures who indulge in the most racist rhetoric.

Diallo is also a tastemaker and an in-demand presence on the red carpet and at fashion shows. She’s been dressed by Jacquemus, Diesel, Acne Studios, Prada, Miu Miu and Jean-Paul Gautier and also lends her support to emerging brands such as Ruohan and Vautrait. It’s at high-profile events that she proudly stands by her fellow luminaries in arts and culture. "Despite the resistance from the old guard, there is no choice but to recognise the powerful artistry of game changers such as filmmaker Alice Diop and actor Aïssa Maïga," she says. “The youth is demanding representation and the portrayal of universal issues. Although sexism and racism are still rife in those industries, more individuals are denouncing the deviance of the system and the culprits."

Diallo’s accomplishments naturally ripple out internationally, too. She’s a regular columnist for The Guardian and The Washington Post and the BET-France host. In 2021, she became the Gender+ Justice Initiative’s inaugural Researcher-in Residence at Georgetown University in Washington. And having co-directed the wildly successful podcast ‘Kiffe Ta Race' with writer Grace Ly since 2018, which addresses racial equality issues in France, the pair have just been appointed activists-in-residence at King’s College London. “We will work closely with academics through a series of podcasts to compare approaches to discussing race, inequalities and discrimination in the two countries.”

And if all of that wasn’t enough, in 2023 Diallo added her official support to the Association des Journalistes Racisé.e.s, which aids journalists who are victims of racism, and fights racism in journalistic productions. The association counts over 200 members from independent media to the mainstream press. “The rise of the far-right in the public space and the media has normalised violent and racist rhetoric. More than ever alternative discourses and realities have to gain ground,” she says. So, whether fighting for the voiceless, or against those who abuse their aggrandised influence, Diallo is showing no signs of slowing up the good fight with like-minded warriors by her side. “Change is never the achievement of an individual but the result of successive generations’ struggles and achievements. In activism, the collective effort is the key.”