“20% of all (UK) students are *Black, and great strides have been made to increase Black representation –with figures from the NUS Officer Diversity Survey 2012/13 showing that around 17% of elected Officers are Black students. This is a clear testament to the hard work of the Black Students’ Campaign, but we cannot be complacent – we must continue to drive forward.” Aaron Kiely, NUS Black Students’ Campaign (nusBSC) Officer.
What can I do to help push this campaign?
I’ve felt unrepresented for as long as I can remember; at my university, in society and even in the industry I’m working hard to pursue a career in – the media. So when I discovered just 3 months ago that there were other students like me – educationally frustrated with the lack of representation across universities in the UK, I had to use my frustration to campaign for change! And I’ve been determined spread awareness of the work NUS Black Students Campaign since.
Then it hit me!
What if our role models were to say a few words of encouragement to get more *black students running for Student Union (SU) elections which are taking place NOW?!… 140 characters can speak VOLUMES !
And with our role models more accessible than ever before thanks to Social Media, I thought a tweet or two directed at black students to make HIStory in their SU, would be an effective way to support nusBSC’s Operation Black Students’ Representation #OBSR! From those we admire in the media to those who mentor us face to face, let’s get this campaign going!
You help out by tweeting your own role models – don’t forget to add the hashtag #OBSR or retweet some of these #OBSR tweets!
If you consider yourself to be a role model in society, PLEASE help by tweeting your words of encouragement… 140 characters sent by you could change the face of Students’ Unions across the UK – we’re campaigning for better representation so our issues can be dealt with and not be ignored! Please finish with the hashtag #OBSR or tag me @makingkai and I’ll forward it onto nusBSC!
*Black is a political term inclusive of Africa, Arab, Asian and Caribbean heritage
Here are some of my role models I’ve already tweeted to ask for a word of encouragement for black students! Which will you be retweeting? And which role model would you like to hear from?
Show your support – how many of these tweets have you retweeted?…
the Educationally Frustrated student 
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