First woman of colour made lord mayor of Cardiff

Bablin Molik (far right) campaigned for improved bus services with Cyncoed residents

The first woman of colour to be appointed lord mayor of Cardiff said she hopes to inspire different communities during her tenure.

Bablin Molik, Cardiff council’s ward member for Cyncoed, was inducted as the lord mayor of Cardiff at the annual general meeting in City Hall on Thursday.

She is the first woman to hold the post since 2019.

Ms Molik said her political journey began by wanting to "prove" that "women of colour with young kids" can "achieve greatly".

“I had to prove that and open those doors for the community,” she said.

Ms Molik has been a councillor since 2017.

“Having two young girls, I did want the world to be different for them when they come to that stage," she added.

The councillor arrived to Cardiff from Bangladesh with her family in the 1980s at the age of six, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

As a “very chatty” young girl, moving to a country where she did not know the language was a daunting experience for her.

Throughout her life she said she has had to overcome a number of hurdles in educational and professional settings.

She said: “It isn’t just becoming lord mayor, it is how I deliver in the year and my commitment that hopefully sends a positive message for everyone in Cardiff.”

Ms Molik said that while she was in school “they would say maybe your English isn’t good enough because your background is such.

“Self doubt does come and it did come in me many times because of those things being said, because I was different.

“The constant challenge for me was to prove those things wrong and it still is today so that the next generation has a better opportunity going forward.”

Ms Molik, said she will be choosing to support UCAN Productions as her chosen charity.

UCAN Productions provides opportunities in performance and creative arts for blind and partially sighted children and young people.

She said the challenges that visually impaired people face often go under the radar and they often do not have the platform to raise their concerns.