'I was the only black boy in my entire school but I never let myself become a victim'
Moses Nalocca was the only black boy in his entire school and said that he never saw a difference between him and the other kids until the ignorance started towards him as he grew up. Moses lives in London now but was Born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1984, before moving along the Adriatic Coast in Italy in 1989.
Moses was at an immediate disadvantage not knowing the language and had to retake his first year of primary school as a result. "One thing that my mom told me always was to be the difference that makes a difference," Moses told MyLondon. In his school days though, Moses did not truly realise he was the only black child as all he saw in front of him were his friends.
He said: "Look at the kids. I have a nephew who is mixed race from my brother and my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law is local Italian and she's white. And my nephew, when he's with other kids, there is no difference at all. The difference comes when you start growing up, when you get into a phase where people start judging you and classifying you in other places.
READ MORE:'I felt alone as a Black woman with ADHD - so I created a support group for people like me'
"So growing up as a kid, I didn't see at all any difference. I was speaking like them, I was learning like them. No difference. The difference came when there was a level of ignorance."
With a strong mindset and set of beliefs, Moses worked hard to make something of himself. Eventually, a change of mindset allowed him to move forward even more.
Moses said: "So at the beginning, my perspective was to prove them wrong, to show them that I was worth being acquainted with them, just to be part of them. It was more coming from a policing perspective to please them. It wasn't about me. So what made me shift was believing in my worth for who I am, what I do, and my origins.
"I believe that life has given me the blessing of being born black, being born in Uganda, which used to be the pearl of Africa. And I'm so proud of that."
Moses describes himself as an 'Upper Echelon Coach'. He said this means "I help others to get into the upper echelon, elite level, because I believe we have been all created to be amazing. I mean, each one of us is already born as a champion because you know what, there are over 400 million sperms and you made it out of 400 million. So you are already a champion. You are already born as a winner."
As an Upper Echelon Coach, Moses has worked with large hospitality franchises, managers and CEOs, and an Olympic Gold Medalist for Bulgaria, Ivet Goranova. He is also an author and has written two books, with a third to be released very soon. But, speaking to MyLondon, Moses is talking to us about his upbringing and being the only black boy in his entire school. He was determined that this experience would never define him and has strived to prove himself his whole life.
"What does it mean? Separate yourself from all the other crowd because my mom told me you will have to do things two or three times harder than anybody else, simply because of where you come from. I always grew up with the need to strive and make a difference, just to prove [myself] to others. So while I was growing up, this was my main drive, do things to prove others wrong."
Moses moved to London in 2016 because he was already coming to the capital every month for self-development training. His first job was at Sports Bar & Grill in Victoria. "I was earning the minimum wage which was £6.90 per hour at that time. But, then, as a great Italian, I worked myself dry. I was working more hours than what was requested. I was calling literally every day when they were giving me two days off and I would say I don't need two days off, I can work seven days.
"Now it's illegal. But then the day I was off, the first thing I used to do was call up and ask if anybody had called in sick or that's not coming? They would say, 'actually somebody called in sick, would you mind coming in?' Yes, I'm coming, in 40 minutes I'm gonna be there."
After succeeding in hospitality, Moses eventually got into coaching and, through his clients, was recommended to the national trainer of Bulgarian Karate. "During one of the lockdowns, one of the senior managers [I coached] was the brother of the national trainer. The manager said, 'If you guys want to go to the Olympics in Tokyo, this is the guy to speak to because it looks like a Mission Impossible'."
Moses continued: "You know what my knowledge of karate was? Zero, just Karate Kid the movie, only Mr Miaggi. I work on your mindset and emotions."
Do you have a story that you think we should be covering? If so, please email tai.kolade@reachplc.com
Want more from MyLondon? Sign up to our daily newsletters for all the latest and greatest from across London here.
(Feed generated with FetchRSS)
Comments