To Exist Is to Resist by Akwugo Emejulu;Francesca Sobande;

Author:Akwugo Emejulu;Francesca Sobande;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Book Network Int'l Limited trading as NBN International (NBNi)

PART IV

Surviving the Academy

13

In the Changing Light; Daring to Be Powerful

Yeṣim Deveci

The quality of light by which we scrutinise our lives has direct bearing upon the product which we live, and upon the changes which we hope to bring about through those lives. It is within this light that we form those ideas by which we pursue our magic and make it realised. (Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider)1

THE CHANGING LIGHT

More than a decade ago, a good friend introduced me to the work of Audre Lorde by giving me a poster with one of her most famous quotes: ‘When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.’2 For many years, the poster lived on a shelf in my office at the community centre where I worked. I did not put it on my wall. In part, I did not have the courage to make so bold a statement, Lorde’s words are fierce and unapologetic. But also, I did not need it. I worked for a small community organisation with a group of like-minded people who shared a vision for the future and were committed to justice for all. I worked with children and young people – young refugees and migrants separated from their families. My days were spent with young people: going to the Home Office, liaising with social workers, therapists, solicitors, drinking tea, talking, writing funding applications, managing casework, building partnerships, being part of a community. The issues were immediate and urgent, the relationships built over time with trust being paramount. In this context of grassroots solidarity, caring for young people in our community, challenging injustice and creating spaces for safety and belonging, I had the support of friends and colleagues engaged in similar struggles. Community work. The daily work undertaken by women of colour to enable the survival of their children. When I left the centre in 2013, I took my poster with me.

My decision to leave the voluntary sector was largely one of self-preservation; I loved working with young people and the energy of our team but after 13 years the endless struggle of fundraising for survival had worn me down. I had started a professional doctorate in 2010 but the births of my children and flow of life meant the project was one with many stops and starts, speed ups and breaks; a continuing work in progress. Over the years my topic had shifted around but always there were young people, his/herstories, stories of migration, of everyday life, of struggles, hopes and dreams. After a long meander, my research took shape as an exploration of the hopes and dreams, everyday lives and life histories of young people with ‘no papers’ – with irregular or undocumented immigration status. I hoped that academic research would enable me to have a wider impact on policy-making and practice than was possible from a front-line practitioner position.

In 2014, I took up a part-time post as a lecturer in the social sciences at a ‘new’ university in London.

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