Having travelled to the UK in the late-60s from Jamaica (my Mum) and St Vincent (my Dad), my parents met and settled in Derby, a small, industrial, white-majority city the East Midlands. Having completed their training, they became nurses, working as frontline NHS staff in several hospitals around the city. At work and in everyday life, they routinely experienced racism and racial harassment given that, back then, it was considered ‘OK’. Even now my Mum is surprisingly pragmatic about the racism levelled against her, my Dad, and their Black friends; their Caribbean background had taught them to be resilient because, depressingly enough, they were taught that this was to be expected in the UK.
They worked hard and valued the educational opportunities the UK provided to them, my brother, and I. I attended a state primary and secondary school, enjoying my time amongst my white friends and not, it must be said, being aware of racial differences. Visible, vocal, and sometimes physical manifestations of racism did occur, however, the impacts of which I’m still thinking about now given that, at the time, I simply dismissed these as simply the expression of jealously or misdirected anger.
I worked hard, played hard, and, with a good amount of luck, somewhat drifted into Higher Education at the University of Manchester. I was fortunate enough to attend university before the introduction of fees and during a time when local authorities provided maintenance grants. How things have changed. Without this support, it would have been impossible to attend university, given my parents could only support me financially in a very small way. University was a generally pleasant experience for me, and looking back it was noticeable how much racially and ethnically diverse my friendship group became. It was also clear how mixing with people from different socio-economic backgrounds helped shape my view of the world and inform my current views on social justice. Having completed my Geology BSc and with no idea of what to do next, I did a PhD in Geology, again at the University of Manchester. The rest, as they say, is history…
Looking back, being a Cowrie Scholar would have greatly and positively influenced my life. It would have entirely relieved the financial burden placed on my parents and I and would have allowed me to focus more on my studies, given I had to work whilst at university and during the holiday periods. The mentorship scheme would also have helped me develop my personal and inter-personal skill. The financial advice would have made me a better saver, something which would have benefitted me during my postgraduate studies. And the exposure to a range of fellow Black students would have helped me develop a sense of belonging.