Founders Library, Helen Keller and the Demonstration

Monday 19th November to Sunday 25th November 2012

Founders Library Wheelchair Access

I was at a meeting earlier this week with college to discuss making Founders Library Wheelchair accessible for students. The bottom line is - it's possible. We'll be trying out fire escape routes etc, and so far are working on the project at an individual student level. Students have such a variety of needs and the library is so inaccessible at the moment, that it will need to be taken on a case by case basis.
However, please write to me (no matter your disability or reliance on a wheelchair) about why wheelchair access to Founders Library is important to you. How do you feel, not being able to access it? What would being able to study there mean to you? Do you have a friend you would like to study there with? Email me at eandl@su.rhul.ac.uk

Disabled History Month

It's from the 22nd November to the 22nd December! Luckily for us, the NUS Disabled Students Officer and also the Cambridge Welfare Officer have offered to come and talk at Royal Holloway, so I'm am getting busy organising that! On Sunday the 2nd December, Student Activities are holding a Superhuman Sports Day in honour of the incredible Paralympics! Register your interest with Steph by emailing her at sports@su.rhul.ac.uk. What ever your disability, and even if you don't consider yourself to have a disability - it will be a great laugh! Give it a go, you have nothing to loose.
Because of Disabled History Month, I am going to post in each blog someone disabled that I find inspirational. Who better to start with than Helen Keller, who inspired me to run for the position of Equality & Liberation Officer with this quote:

"I am only one, and yet I am still one. I cannot do everything, but I can still do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do."

Helen Keller

Born in 1880 in Alabama, USA, at 19months old she had an illness which left her deaf and blind. It was her cook who first recognised that she was trying to communicate through signs. Helen was the first deafblind person to earn a BA degree, and was an American writer, political activist and lecturer. She campaigned for womens' suffrage, labour rights and socialism amongst other causes, and was a member of both Socialist Party of America and Industrial Workers of the World. She died just before her 88th birthday in 1968. I like her because all of her quotes are perfect in length and sentiment, and that's how I discovered her. She must have had a hard time communicating without sound or sight, but with help she tackled this and was able to fight for causes I am sympathetic to, like the womens' suffrage. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance

This was on Tuesday the 20th November, at ULU in London. It was a really nice space to be in, and together we read through the names of all the people who had been murdered because of their gender. For every single name that was read out, we lit a candle for them. After reading through the names, CN played "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and I will never be able to listen to that song the same way again. It was incredibly moving, and just right after the tough name reading. After that we had various musical acts and poetry, all by people who identified as trans, and the evening ended on a positive note. It was the first TDoR I have been able to go to - and I will certainly make the effort to go next year.

Demonstration 

Oli, Joe and Jamie at the Demo

Wednesday the 21st November was wet and rainy. Incredibly wet. Nonetheless, we marched through the streets of London with our drums beating and our placards held high - until we reached a quiet suburban area with a park, where we were supposed to gather. It had been a long, cold and wet day, and we finished in the middle of nowhere. We weren't angry with the people living in the houses lining the street, we were angry with the government! But the route agreed by the NUS and the Police led us to nowhere of any significance.
I don't regret going and representing the liberation groups who will be hit hardest by the changes to education fees, but I do wish I had taken an umbrella.

Feminism Society and Debate Society: Can men be feminists, or only allies?

Well, it was an experience! I was a last minute replacement and was put on the "Men can only be allies" team. Debate Society used to terrify me, and so I had adrenaline running through me for the whole session! It didn't help that most of the room sided with "Men can be feminists" in the first place, and so most of the question directing was at the proposition side (gulp, me!). But I was paired with someone from said Debate Soc and he was very good.
My honest opinion? That men can be feminists, but should work towards becoming allies. Through personal experience, I have sometimes been able to attend caucuses that I don't actually identify with (I was an invisible presence) - and it dawned on me that for many of the people here, it was the only space they felt safe. The only place. I heard things that were so honest, so hurtful, so strinkingly true, that I felt uncomfortable, because it felt like I was imposing on this safe space. I honestly think that being an ally takes humility, takes a lot of listening, means taking criticism constructively and also leaving the spaces sometimes. It's about recognising that it's not about you. You shouldn't jump up and down screaming "Look at me! I'm a decent human being! I'm an ally!", because we all should be. It's about encouraging others to be allies as well, and always being ready to learn more.

This Week:

It's SHAG Week!
That's Sexual Health Advice and Guidance week! There will be plenty going on! You can check out the whole range of events here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/112302825597003/?fref=ts
And on Monday, at 7pm in the Arts Building, the I&R Senate are having a Let's Talk About Sex & Sexuality: https://www.facebook.com/events/301235059982109/?fref=ts

Open Forum on General Meetings
If you've never been to a General Meeting, or you love them so much you turn up just for laughs - we're having a friendly and relaxed drop in forum on the topic. Get creative with solutions, because we're going to have to tackle this together! https://www.facebook.com/events/134054006745301/?fref=ts

I&R Senate
A more relaxed one, on becoming the best activists we can be. Wednesday, 2pm in Imagine. Come along, even if you're just curious and want to know more about creating campaigns that work. https://www.facebook.com/events/527004283996019/

Radio Show
As always, I have a radio show on Wednesdays at 11am! Fill out the form online if you would like to be my next guest! http://www.insanityradio.com/shows/desert-island-sid

Poster for Monday Night