Monday 11-11-2019 - 14:15

Building the Anti - Racist Classroom is a collective that has comprised five women of colour working as academics in higher education in the UK and Australia.

The Union took a group of student Ambassadors, Officers and Staff to St.Marys’ College London to attend BARC collectives’ event, Building the Anti - Racist Classroom: Organising for liberation.

Students and activists were brought together in a sharing of past and present anti-racist interventions to imagine the direction of future organizing, the possibilities, necessities and infrastructure we need.

Across the day we heard from Prof. Akwugo Emejulu, who helped us to understand the political landscape of anti - racist organising. She introduced us to the idea of ‘refusal as a method of resistance,’ to reject current systems of power, and to refuse practises that do not serve us. She highlighted women of colour using this method of resistance in their campaigning work, and told us about the Mohawk people who refuse the so - called American/Canadian border. This gave us lots to think about, especially when it comes to campaigning on decolonisation. She told us we must “find other ways of being political together.”

We also heard from Gail Lewis, a sociologist who specialises in psychosocial studies of race and gender. She opened her talk reminding us of the history of where we were. She reminded us that we were located at Mile End London, a place where London’s Aldgate stood, where Jews, Muslims and Black people were stopped from entering into the city of London. She told us about the importance of place and history. She spoke about the importance of creating spaces where Black Radical Thought could truly exist un-interrupted, and left us questioning whether that is possible within a University context.

She spoke about how the terms and use of language applied by institutions to students of colour is erasing of people and their identity. She gave us a brief history and critique of the term ‘BAME’ and how she has seen these blanket terms evolve from ‘immigrant’ to ‘settler’ to ‘ethnic minority’ to ‘BAME’. She spoke about the movement of ‘political blackness,’ and there was lots of discussion in the room.

We also heard from George Yancy, an American Philosopher who has published many books on race. He spoke to us about his work, and posed some interesting ideas. He left the room in awe of his poeticism and brutal truths. He told us as a philosopher he is ‘less interested in what we ought to do and more interested in the what is, as the ought to can never get off the ground if the what is is irradical.’ The resinated with us, and encouraged us to reveal brutal truths ourselves through our anti - racist campaigning. He spoke about and critiqued whiteness. He spoke about whiteness as “nothing if it is not trying to take over at any opportunity.” This highlights the importance that our work must centre people of colour.

We also heard from Goldsmiths Anti Racist Action (GARA), Decolonise UoK and Decolonise QMUL who shared with us their experiences of campaigning in this area, who shared their knowledge and work with us. If you are a student of colour at MMU and have ideas for change or would like to start a project or collective get in touch with the Union and we can support you! Find out more about BARC collective and upcoming events. If you are interested in the Unions’ Decolonisation Campaign or BAME Ambassador scheme and other forms of Anti - Racist Organising please get in touch with Azeem Lateef a.lateef@mmu.ac.uk or s.u.education@mmu.ac.uk

- Lucy Follon & Mehedi Kuraishy