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- Archive 2019
- 2015 Elections: 11 new BME MP’s make history
- 70th Anniversary of the Partition of India
- Black Church Manifesto Questionnaire
- Brett Bailey: Exhibit B
- Briefing Paper: Ethnic Minorities in Politics and Public Life
- Civil Rights Leader Ratna Lachman dies
- ELLE Magazine: Young, Gifted, and Black
- External Jobs
- FeaturedVideo
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- Gary Younge Book Sale
- George Osborne's budget increases racial disadvantage
- Goldsmiths Students' Union External Trustee
- International Commissioners condemn the appalling murder of Tyre Nichols
- Iqbal Wahhab OBE empowers Togo prisoners
- Job Vacancy: Head of Campaigns and Communications
- Media and Public Relations Officer for Jean Lambert MEP (full-time)
- Number 10 statement - race disparity unit
- Pathway to Success 2022
- Please donate £10 or more
- Rashan Charles had no Illegal Drugs
- Serena Williams: Black women should demand equal pay
- Thank you for your donation
- The Colour of Power 2021
- The Power of Poetry
- The UK election voter registration countdown begins now
- Volunteering roles at Community Alliance Lewisham (CAL)
5 Weeks with OBV
(Alex is third from left)
Working at OBV came at the right time and the right place for me. Before I left for London an ‘incident’ had occurred at my university regarding race issues and the media. A candidate professor for Boston University, Saida Grundy, tweeted two statements: "why is white america so reluctant to identify white college males as a problem population?" and "every MLK week I commit myself to not spending a dime in white-owned businesses. and every year i find it nearly impossible." Grundy was scrutinized by white college-aged males and was lashed out against for making such comments.
When conversing with my older sister, she said something along the lines of ‘I really hate this. She is trying to inform these students to check their privilege. Are people even bothering to read the context of her message?’ That line to ‘check your privilege’ stuck with me. Later that day I discovered I was to intern at Operation Black Vote in London. The timing almost seemed serendipitous.
When I started to work at OBV I was curious as to how I would be perceived from the organisation. I am a white college student privileged enough to spend a summer in London, and while I am passionate about social justice issues I myself am not a black nor ethnic minority. I was not intimidated to tackle the black democratic deficit in America, but I was scared I would be perceived as a white child patting herself on the back for doing charity in the UK.
Operation Black Vote does not have time for frivolous squander. OBV has stuff to get done. The best lessons I have learned from this organisation is that tip toeing across issues such as racial tension is not only uncomfortable, but also painfully unnecessary. Race issues are visible, so we might as well talk about them. A lot of issues did slide past me as an upper-middle class college student, but OBV was happy to sit me down and tell me about these concerns. The best I could do would be not to cry out in protest, much like the students’ objection from Grundy’s tweets from earlier this summer, but to realize that I have a responsibility to do something.
The people in this organisation have qualities that truly carry on the legacy and success of its reputation. They have gumption, drive, clarity and above all passion. Passion to commit a whole week to one single task and then come in the next week and do it all over again for the same cause. That same passion engulfs their lives in the care and concerns of the entire BME community of the UK. And that passion builds momentum in small spades and leaps boundaries over time. As director Simon Woolley has said, ‘we have work to do.’ Frivolity and hand-holding don’t have a space in this organisation. However a good laugh and a couple of shared snacks are always welcome amongst this friendly crowd.
OBV has not only given me the skills to work at an NGO, but has also given me the lens to look at perceptions differently and how to better address these issues: head on. As my sister said earlier people have to check their privilege. I know where I stand as a white college educated student, and I can go forth from that mark. Thank you OBV for a great summer.
Alexandra Fox