Black Representation

Sept 13 – Attended TUC Conference in Brighton – had meeting on Young Person’s issues with Stephen Twigg MP, minister in department for Education.

Sept 15 – Meeting with David Lammy MP about Black Students’ Handbook and need to support Black Students’ Officer in Every Union campaign and getting parliamentary support for it.

Sept 16 – Sent out first-ever Black Students’ Campaign freshers pack mailing crammed full of information on the campaign and ideas on how to engage and involve Black students.

Sept 17 – Attended Bath Spa University Development Day (with Bath University, Bristol University, Portsmouth University and Bath College) – for clubs and societies and Black students.

Sept 20 – Attended the freshers’ fair at University of Central Lancashire; submitted contribution to consultation paper on British Muslims’ Expectations and paper on Experiences of British Muslims’ Identity.

Sept 21 – Attended the freshers’ fair at Liverpool University and service to remember the contributions of Black people through the two World Wars as part of Black History Month activities.

Sept 22 – Attended freshers’ fairs at Salford University, Manchester Met University, Manchester University and Bradford University; organised two Black fresher students for the Independent on Sunday newspaper to follow over the next year.

Sept 23 – Attended Winchester College freshers’ fair.

Sept 24 – Attended freshers’ fairs at King’s College, Middlesex University, University of East London, Goldsmiths College and Hastings College.

Sept 25 – Attended freshers’ fairs at King’s College and School of Oriental and African Studies.

Sept 27 – Attended Labour Party Conference, went to sessions on the Equal Opportunities’ Commission, the CRE’s Absolutely Equal event; visited Brighton University freshers’ fair.

Sept 28 – Attended City University freshers’ fair; submitted contribution to the 1990 Trust’s research into the DTIs Strength and Diversity consultation on the single equalities commission.

Sept 29 – Attended freshers’ fairs at Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge University, Hills Road Sixth Form College and Liverpool John Moores University.

Oct 1 – Launched the NUS Black Students’ Campaign Black History Month activities calendar.

Oct 4 – Attended a Home Office meeting with the safer communities unit to talk about Black social cohesion agenda.

Oct 5: Attended NUS NEC meeting – tabled motion on the Black Students’ handbook which got passed; defended Tariq Ramadan, the Muslim scholar, against an Islamophobic attack.

Oct 6 – Attended the NUS NEC Equal Opportunities’ Committee meeting; spoke at LSE freshers’ event; attended Sunay’ha students’ multicultural theatre event in Bethnal Green.

Oct 7 – Attended freshers’ fair at London Metropolitan University; held meeting with the Equality Challenge Unit.

Oct 13 – Attended the University of London Union’s freshers’ fair; co-organised and facilitated the NUS Black-LGB event to support young gay people; attended consultation meeting with the Metropolitan Police on Stop and Search.

Oct 14 – Attended a freshers’ talk at Hemel Hempstead Sixth Form College.

Oct 15–17 – Attended the European Social Forum: supported the session on Rap, Guns and Resistance with Asher D from So Solid; chaired the debate on Knowledge, Culture and Education (with John Pilger and Suu Kyi); co-sponsored sessions at the Rebuilding Africa Event and ran sessions on winning justice and equality for young Black people.

Oct 17 – Attended the NUS LGB Committee meeting – defended Tariq Ramadan against Islamophobic prejudice and attack, and defended the Black community being stigmatised for homophobic lyrics in music.

Oct 18 – Attended the NUS Priority Campaigns meeting at NUS HQ; submitted my Report and Plans to NUS; attended Trevor Phillips’ lecture on Black History Month at the TUC.

Oct 19 – Met with the Church of England FE College’s adviser about involving Black FE students and creating multi-faith chaplaincies and networks in colleges.

Oct 20 – Spoke at the All Parliamentary British Chinese Group Hearing about the representation of Chinese people in the media with Tessa Jowell MP; leaders of the Chinese community and Chinese students; attended the City and Islington College Black History Month fair.

Oct 21 – Spoke at the NUS SWD Mental Health Awareness Day event at Westminster University; attended the United Colours of Football (Kick Racism Out) Black History Month event.

Oct 25 – Attended the Black students’ East Anglia regional conference at Anglia Polytechnic University.

Oct 26 – Attended the TUC and Young People’s conference with a particular focus pay inequality and challenges by young Black people in the workforce, also the www.morethanwork.net website to support Black workers; attended the African-Caribbean Foundation Diversity Careers fair.

Oct 27 – Attended Black students’ south-east regional conference in Winchester; spoke at the Winchester College One World Week debate on Does Multiculturalism Contribute to Education?; Oct 28 – Attended meeting at Liverpool John Moore University to debate topic of Racism in Education; facilitated the Black Students’ north-west regional conference at Liverpool JM Uni.

October/November – wrote the NUS Black Students’ Handbook.

Nov 1 – Attended AGCAS (Race Equality in Graduate Recruitment) meeting, discussed a national survey with careers advisors and graduate recruiters to find out about Black students and work, and how better to support them into employment; facilitated Black students’ London region conference at City and Islington College.

Nov 2 – Attended Black Students’ South West regional conference at Bristol University.

Nov 3 – Attended Black Students’ Midlands regional conference at Wolverhampton University.

Nov 4 – Attended NUS Regional Conference in Bradford; Black Students’ North East regional conference at Bradford University; and then spoke at the ACS and the Black Students’ Committee meeting at Sheffield University.

Nov 8 – Attended the NUS Emergency Conference in Wolverhampton – defended Black representation and the autonomy of the Liberation Campaigns.

Nov 11–12 – Designed the NUS Black students’ handbook.

Nov 13 – Attended the NUS-Daily Mirror Media Journalism Awards (for which I judged the Diversity Award) and was on a panel looking at routes into journalism.

Nov 16 – Attended the NUS National Council meeting in Birmingham

Respect Not Racism

Sept 13 – Wrote article on Black representation for the Student Assembly Against Racism newsletter.

Sept 14 – Attended a Refugee Council Training Event on Making Sense of the Asylum Act.

Sept 16 – Attended the Stephen Lawrence Memorial Lecture at Parliament’s Round House.

Sept 20 – Wrote in to the survey of British Muslims’ Expectations and a survey on British Muslim Identity

Sept 23 – Presented a research paper at the Tackling Racial Tension and Hate Crime on Campus Conference from the NUS Black Students’ perspective; attended an ESF preparatory meeting.

Sept 26 – Went to the Labour Party Conference – attended sessions on National Assembly Against Racism and the challenges in society; helped organise the Unite Against Fascism debate on the European fight against racism with Ken Livingstone, Claude Moraes (Black) MEP, Hijab society; Sept 30 – Attended and spoke at anti-BNP events (co-organised with the Unite Against Fascism Campaign) at Salford University, Manchester Met University and Manchester University.

Oct 7 – Meeting at the GLA for student Respect Not Racism Week; attended Black History Month event: Black Music: The Mission and the Message (of Gospel).

Oct 15–17 – Attended the European Social Forum: ran a workshop on Students United Against Racism; attended sessions on Muslims in Europe, and the Criminal Justice System and Racism. I spoke at the Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism event on equality in Europe, and spoke at the Challenging Racism in Education session.

Oct 21 – Attended the United Colours of Football (Kick Racism Out) Black History Month event.

Oct 22 – Spoke at the Goldsmith’s College Student Assembly Against Racism meeting; attended Injustice film screening at SOAS University.

Oct 25 – Attended Anglia Polytechnic University anti-racism event; attended committee to defend asylum seekers meeting.

Oct 27 – Attended a Respect Not Racism meeting at the Greater London Assembly to prepare for Respect Week.

Oct 28 – Attended meeting at Liverpool John Moore University to debate topic of Racism in Education.

Oct 30 – Went on the Friends and Family Against Deaths in Police Custody (Injustice) demonstration at Trafalgar Square and Downing Street.

Oct 31 – Supported two sessions at the STAR (student action for refugees) conference in Nottingham, on involving refugee students in your union and challenging the myths around immigration.

Nov 10 – Organised and ran the NUS Anti-Racism Conference in Manchester: ran sessions on fighting the rise of the far right BNP, tackling institutional racism and running active anti-racism campaigns on campus.

Nov 15 – Attended London School of Economics Food Fair as part of Respect Not Racism Week.

Nov 16 – Attended NUS National Council meeting in Birmingham, lead sessions on Liberation Campaigns and NUS Anti-Racism Campaign; spoke at the Brunel University Vocal Essence anti-racism night as part of Respect Not Racism Week.

Nov 17 – Prepared a diversity training event at Salford University Students’ Union.

Nov 18 – Spoke at the LSE’s anti-BNP seminar as part of the Respect Not Racism Week.

Equality in Education

Sept 11 – Attended the London and the Black Child Conference in London organised by Diane Abbott MP, Lee Jasper and the Mayor of London; Sept 13 – Attended race debate with Trevor Phillips at the Institute of Public Policy Research

Sept 14 – Meeting with David Renton, Equalities Officer at Natfhe, about supporting Black students in FE

Sept 23 – Attended reception for TeachFirst – project that encourages gifted students to teach for a couple of years before taking up with major businesses; Oct 6 – Attended NUS Education Committee meeting and discussed education funding, anonymous marking and Black school exclusions; Oct 8 - Meeting with Stephen Twigg MP, minister in Department for Education about Black Curriculum

Oct 15–17 – Attended the European Social Forum: chaired the debate on Knowledge, Culture and Education (with John Pilger and Suu Kyi); and spoke at the Challenging Racism in Education session.

Oct 18 – Went to the meeting on the Commission for Black Staff with Natfhe.

Oct 27 – Spoke at the Winchester College One World Week debate on Does Multiculturalism Contribute to Education?

Oct 28 – Attended a meeting at Liverpool J-M University to debate the topic of Racism in Education.

Internationalism

Sept 11 – Attended the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Conference at City Hall, London. Discussed the attack on Iraq, the threat of war on African countries and the sale of nuclear arms around the world.

Sept 12 – Attended the Party Against Poverty event organised by War on Want in Brighton.

Sept 16 – Attended the Black women and domestic and racial violence event organised by War on Want.

Sept 24 – Attended the NUS Internationalism meeting and discussed solidarity work with Zimbabwe, South Africa, Columbia and Tajikistan.

Oct 3 – Supported the Edward Said Palestinian memorial event at SOAS University.

Oct 9 – Meeting with the Swansea University International Students’ Campaign.

Oct 14 – Meeting with the board of ESIB, the European Students’ Union, to discuss a Europe-wide Anti-Racist initiative and efforts to increase Black representation.

Oct 15–17 – Attended the European Social Forum and joined the 150-000 strong anti-Iraq war protest.

Oct 26 – Attended a reception at the House of Commons to celebrate the 10th anniversary of democracy in South Africa.

Oct 27 – Attended the Parliamentary hearing on international debt with the Jubilee Debt Campaign.

Oct 29 – Attended the NUS International Students’ Campaign day at Manchester

University and the NUS International Students’ committee meeting.

Nov 13 – Attended the Amnesty International Students Conference.

Nov 15 – Made a submission to the Home Office on its proposal to increase visa charges – I objected strongly to the proposed massive hike in charges.

Media

Sept 22 – Organised two Black fresher students for the Independent on Sunday newspaper to follow over the next year.

October – Interviewed by BBC news about the Schwartz Report on access to further and higher education and the need to help more Black students into the top universities. October and November – Wrote letters to the Guardian newspaper on: racism in society; the threat of Islamophobia; the European Social Forum and for the need of a united fight against homophobia and racism after the murder of David Morley.

Nov 13 – Wrote article The Times on the NUS Anti-Racism conference and the need for a strong anti-racist message on our campuses.

Casework

I have a managed a broad range of case work these past six weeks, from students who have failed their exams who needed help through academic appeals, students needing support to make funding applications; help with the student loans company; writing character references; supporting students get funding for their ACS’ events; referrals for welfare support; helping students get registered for the NUS Black Students’ Conference and NUS Anti-Racism Conference.

NUS Black Students’ Handbook

Producing the handbook has taken up a lot of time and effort, but I am really proud of the end result, and believe it will prove to be an enormous resource in helping improve the experiences of Black students on campus. Many organisations and Black students from around the country were involved in its production and it took a lot of hard work and effort to get together. The handbook highlights the needs and aspirations of many gifted, Black students in our education system and beyond. It also makes clear the Black agenda in terms of our struggles and the challenges we face on a day to day basis.

Some Committee members played a critical role in getting the handbook together, they are: Ruqayyah (religious and perspectives’ sections), Aliyyah (general articles) and Takhsin (sponsorship). They were very important in terms of helping get articles in, sections researched and raising the money needed to make the handbook a reality. Additional thanks to committee members: Beccy, Fatima, Sharon, Silvana and Makola for their valuable input.

Black Students’ Officer in Every Union Campaign

The time spent on producing the NUS Black Students’ Officer in Every Union campaign briefing has been long and slow. It has included extensive research on the content of the briefing, the winning the arguments and motions section. Work also involved meetings with designers to produce the posters and flyers which were also distributed to unions around the country. This will be a valuable resource to show union officers the impact of under-representation of Black people, but more importantly, it will also give Black students and their union officers the opportunity to create proper Black representation for their students.

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