How Rachel Etse, as a Black woman, enters spaces that were not built for her – and why that act alone transforms our society.
Rachel Etse is an ethnologist, anti-racism trainer, and educator – and she is unapologetically disruptive in the best sense of the word. She doesn’t circle around the issues – she dives straight in. Into structural racism. Into self-doubt. Into courage. And into the radical power of not making yourself small – even when everything in the room tells you to.
From law school to the heart of structures
Rachel almost became a lawyer. She was on the finishing line – all requirements cleared – and then she stepped away. “I didn’t know exactly where the journey was leading, but I knew: this is not my path.” Instead of robes: research. Instead of the courtroom: the football pitch.
Today, she’s pursuing a PhD in ethnology, researching colonialism and Eurocentric ways of thinking. She leads workshops for the German Football Association, works within police structures – and brings a double expertise: as a scholar and as someone directly affected.
“I carry an expertise I never asked for,” she says. “I know what racism feels like. And I open this space to bring others along – not to make it comfortable for everyone.”
“Empowerment begins within”
Courage doesn’t just happen. For the past five years, Rachel has spent three hours each month in coaching. Not because she is weak – but because she insists on staying strong.
“I learned: it’s not enough to just be smart. As a woman moving in male-dominated structures, your inner stance has to be crystal clear. You must know: I am here. I have the right to be here. I will be heard.”
For her, this work on self-worth is not a luxury – it’s survival. And it’s a call to every woman:
“If we dared to face our shadows, our doubts, our old wounds – we would live in a different world. Female empowerment doesn’t mean: I adjust. It means: I rebuild spaces.”
Moments that stay
When Rachel leads workshops – for example, in elite football academies – it often starts the same way: folded arms, raised eyebrows, skepticism.
“Some pretend to sleep – until I start speaking.” And then it shifts. Everyone in the room realizes: here sits an expert who delivers not just theory, but clarity, conviction, and lived experience.
She shows herself vulnerable, too. “I say: I am Black, I am a woman, I am here. And I need backing. That is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.” This honesty changes the atmosphere. Because she doesn’t just stay on the factual level – she shows up as a person. And at the same time, she challenges others to step into responsibility.
Solidarity, not competition
One topic Rachel insists on: solidarity among women.
“Internalized sexism is real. Women who’ve made it sometimes block others, out of fear of losing their own position. But empowerment means: we lift each other.”
Marginalized groups know this dynamic all too well: mistrust inside their own circles. Rachel calls for breaking these patterns. “It’s not about one of us winning while another loses. It’s about all of us rising – and building new structures together.”
Uncertainty is normal – but never an excuse
In her workshops, white participants often ask: What am I still allowed to say? How can I help?
Her response is sharp: “Uncertainty is okay, if you acknowledge it. But it must not become an excuse. We have enough books, podcasts, films, initiatives. Educate yourself. Sensitize yourself. Start with you.”
She is not asking for guilt. She is calling for responsibility.
“Too many still believe racism is something that happens to others. Or that it’s only perpetuated by ‘bad people.’ But racism is a system. And we are all part of it. Me. You. The real question is: how consciously do you want to remain part of it?”
Vision, not defense
What keeps Rachel awake at night?
“Our political climate. The shift to the right. The question whether our democracy will survive the next four years.” And yet what fuels her hope is larger: untapped potential.
“We talk endlessly about what’s broken. But we haven’t even begun to dream. Where do we want to go? What should this new society look like?”
Her answer: a society where racism is not a niche topic, but mainstream. Where there are weekly TV programs on anti-racist education. Where the burden of explanation no longer falls solely on those affected. And where white people say: This is our responsibility, too.
Structures speak
Black Women in power structures
- According to the Afrozensus (2020), 79% of Black women in Germany have experienced workplace discrimination.
- Only about 1% of professorships in Germany are held by Black people – and among women, the number is even lower.
Visible in football – rarely in leadership
- In Bundesliga youth academies, racialized youth are overrepresented.
- In coaching or club leadership, the share of Black people is near zero.
Anti-racism is not a feeling – it’s knowledge
- Studies show: people with stronger anti-racism competence are less afraid of making mistakes – and more confident in acting.
- Rachel Etse: “Uncertainty must not become a permanent state. Education is responsibility.”
Empowerment needs inner and outer work
- Coaching, mentoring, and self-reflection sustainably strengthen women in male-dominated systems.
- “It’s not enough to change structures. We must also rebuild our self-image,” says Rachel.
10 Rachel Etse quotes worth framing
🖤 “I walk into rooms where I’m not expected – and that’s exactly why I stay.”
✊🏾 “Female empowerment doesn’t mean: I adapt. It means: I rebuild spaces.”
📚 “Uncertainty is fine – but it must never be an excuse.”
🌿 “What you believe about yourself determines how you enter a room.”
🔥 “I allow myself to be vulnerable – and that is my strength.”
💥 “Empowerment also means: daring to face my own shadows.”
🧠 “This inner work is hard – but it is the most radical act of self-empowerment.”
🗣 “I don’t say: protect me. I say: see me.”
🧩 “Many believe racism is something that happens to others. But we are all part of the system.”
🎙 “I don’t just want to change structures. I want us to start thinking anew.”
Conclusion
Rachel Etse shows us what happens when courage meets conviction: rooms transform, perspectives expand, systems realign. She reminds us that empowerment is not an individual privilege – it is a collective mandate.
And Rachel is on fire. Not only for what has been. But for what is still to come.
About Rachel Etse
Rachel Esinam Etse is an ethnologist, anti-racism trainer, and founder of her own educational initiative – with the clear aim of initiating lasting change in business, organizations, and sports. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Mainz, focusing on the riot police, and combines her ethnological expertise with sharp racism analysis and postcolonial critique. Through workshops, lectures, and trainings with partners such as Fraport AG, the German Football Association, and Bundesliga youth academies, she makes racism visible – and actively changeable. Her practice-oriented formats foster empowerment through self-reflection, inclusive action strategies, and spaces for both those affected and those intervening – ensuring that critical education on discrimination does not remain superficial, but instead shapes society.
