In 2013 Cecile Kyenge was named to the Black Women in Europe Power List after her appointment to Minister of Integration in Italy. During that time she endured abuse from her colleagues.
Cécile Kyenge Kashetu is a Congolese-born Italian politician and ophthalmologist. She is the Minister for Integration in the current Italian government. She has founded an intercultural Association (DAWA) to promote mutual awareness, integration and cooperation between Italy and Africa, particularly in her country of birth, the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is also the spokesperson of the association “March First”, which works to promote the rights of migrants in Italy. In February 2013 she was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Democratic Party in Emilia-Romagna. Two months later she was appointed Minister for Integration in the grand coalition government formed by Enrico Letta, becoming Italy’s first black cabinet minister. She supports the introduction of a Jus soli law to grant citizenship to children of immigrants born on Italian soil.
On 25 May 2014 she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Visit Minister Kyenge’s website (in Italian).
[…] addition to discussing the future of the BEWC we had the honor of meeting with Minister Kyenge, Italy, thanks to our Italian board member, Dr. Susanne […]