Rhi-Mixed Views

With almost 2 million people today identifying as 'mixed race' in the England and Wales, there is a distinct lack of engagement with what 'mixed race' means to higher education, and what it means to the conceptions of 'race' and people's experiences with identity. While there is engagement with 'mixed race' histories and contemporary experience, this engagement in the UK often stems from research into 'mixed race' relationships, migration, or early years education.  Often, 'mixed race' people are stigmatised as issues in society, as they question the very foundations that 'race' rests on to uphold white supremacy culture. 'Mixed race' can also complicate the boundaries of belonging, which creates uncomfortable emotions for those protective over access to space based on physical appearance. In the context of Black History Month for example, Tré Ventour-Griffiths (2020) argues that the issue is often placed on Multiraci

As an academic, names become something extremely prevalent to your career and identity. This is because when we publish, our surnames become attached to our work forever. Our careers are dependent on this one word that attaches our identities to our expertise. This can come with a lot of intersectional challenges. For example, it is common for women in academia when they get married to change their names, but keep their maiden name's in their publications, as if they change it, it could look like a completely different body of work.  An article in Nature ' Racial inequalities in journals highlighted in giant study ' by Amanda Heidt, found that scientists from minority ethnic groups experience various forms of inequality throughout the academic-publishing process and are poorly represented on journal editorial boards.  The study itself is an imperfect study, as the algorithms used misclassified Black names 65% of the time, which led researchers to argue that it might be more

Let's re-imagine space Introduction  When you go your whole life being told you do not belong to a specific community, never truly 'fitting' anywhere, its always shocking when you realise there are more communities you are a 'part' of, yet still struggle to navigate them.  I was recently (educationally) diagnosed with  ADHD  (not a medical diagnosis), which really explains a lot of reasons I am the way I am, and it was very  reaffirming  to my sense of self.  But what comes with that is a continued  self-reflection  into my own identity, and who that makes me, where I fit, and where I perhaps do not.  When you are  mixed race in Britain , the monoracial culture attempts to get you to choose one side or the other, for me, either be a Chinese woman or a white woman,  but never both.   When you are in ' neurotypical  Britain', our brains are expected to function in a way that suits the way society has been built, not how we think and experience.  So i

We all see it,  but why are we not talking about it?  Love Island is a popular dating TV show in the UK, which places 'attractive' contestants in a villa for a number of months, and viewers watch as they pair up to fall in and out of love. It's huge popularity is due to the levels of relationship drama the UK public love to watch, but it also reveals a lot about how racism can enact itself within dating and how the UK public views interracial couples.  The pictures are the first 'coupling' of the contestants. How this works is each contestant (either all the males or all the females) stand in a row, and the other gender group comes out one by one. The ones standing in the line step forward if they find this person attractive, and then that person chooses who they want to 'couple up with'.  This year,  these rules changed.  This time, the public were given the power to vote for who should be coupled up with who.  Now, the public are given a number of short vi

When I was working on my student-led anti-racism project Active Together , I was not very knowledgeable about how to handle microaggressions. I was in (and still am in) a process of learning and unlearning everything I thought I knew about discrimination.  This meant sometimes I put myself in unsafe positions without always understanding why they weren't safe. I was just passionate and wanted quick change.  Active Together stemmed from the racism I faced in my polo club at the university, so I decided to go back to that club and try and change the culture there for the better.  I messaged the clubs Facebook page (which stated if you have any queries you can message them), and I asked them what the club was doing to create an active anti-racist environment. They emailed me back an EDI action plan they were made to make by the Athletics Union, that simply stated "we recognise the club is very white".  I wasn't very happy about this response, it was not an action, it wa

Recently, I left a student leadership role at my institution. This was not because of a lack of capacity This was not because I was not capable of doing the job to a high standard And this was not because I necessarily wanted to. I left because the environment was draining. The space itself did not allow my personal activism to flourish and grow the way it deserves to, and no space should ever make you feel this way.  But, this is not a time to be sad, but a time to feel empowered.  Leaving a job post, or leaving any position that is situated in a negative, toxic environment can be an empowering experience, that reminds you of your power, and how you have autonomy over who you surround yourself with, and what you expose your body and mind to.  I always refer back to the life-changing work of bell hooks, who writes about love, space, and relationships in such a beautiful way.  She writes how you need to love yourself in a way that helps you spiritually grow, and your environment and th