FNOC: Featured Name on Campus – Jessica Agboola, Founder of the Black Women’s Project
This issue, Features was able to speak to Warwick Student Jessica Agboola, founder of the Black Women’s Project. By their mission statement they are a student collective for black female students at British universities who are committed to rebuilding the black female body. BWP are also involved with Let’s Talk Black, a collective of Warwick University’s societies committed to addressing racial, political and social issues affecting black and minority students.
Blessing: Please introduce yourself.
Jessica: I’m a normal Sociology student acting on her interests. I’m interested in the development of black people at university, especially those who aspire to do more and do things things differently.
B: Is that what prompted you to start the Black Women’s Project?
J: Yes, I founded the BWP in January and it was established in February 2015. Our mission statement is that we are a student collective for black female students at British universities who are committed to rebuilding the black female body. Essentially, we aim to do this on a physical and conceptual level. The need for it to be rebuilt is because the black woman’s image is incomplete and we believe that only when we acknowledge that, we will be able to make the necessary moves to change that.
B: What do you mean that the black woman’s body is incomplete?
J: Essentially, the Black female body is a representation of our lived experiences as well as being a physical body. The fact that the body needs to be repaired is indicative of the injustices that have been done to it.
B: Why is it important that black women make use of groups like the BWP?
J: We are all black women in a British context but we are at the core a certain ‘type’ of black. Therefore, these forums for women exist so we can come together and share our common experiences.
Our mission statement is that we are a student collective for black female students at British universities who are committed to rebuilding the black female body.
B: What is a common experience that you have come across?
J: That we may have different experiences, but externally we are viewed the same; as black and as women – this can’t be changed.
B: How can this impact black women as they make their way through life?
J: We may all come from different social and economic backgrounds but what is significant is that certain people can change how they are viewed but, by virtue of being black and women, often society only views the external and aesthetic features that can’t be changed in order to cast judgement upon us.
B: How does your group empower its members to break past this?
J: We acknowledge that there are problems but we navigate our way with wisdom to solve them and get past the boundaries in front of us. We focus on the big picture. Studying at university helped me realise that at some point as a woman you will hit boundaries; but when black women hit them it’s going to be different. You can feel alienation because other people don’t experience what you will experience. Helping to tackle those issues with undertones of race, we can deal with them with knowledge and support and honesty – we are honest to prepare for the future. This is the place for it.
Before university I’d never heard from black voices in academia.
B: So what is the format of the BWP?
J: BWP holds monthly discussions on important issues. We also have a big sister/little sister scheme to help new students transition into university. Hopefully with our alumni there will be a professional network which will create a visible network of black women in spaces that aren’t expected. I always say that I want to see black women in space!
B: How do you interact with societies like Warwick Anti-Racism Society (WARS)?
J: WARS has inspired everything I’ve done with BWP. Before university I’d never heard from black voices in academia. Now I see the strength, wit and articulate excellence of people that look like me and it’s changed how I could view myself. It was as if I had a diagnosis to an illness – I learnt the words and ways of understanding things that I had seen every day but didn’t know how to articulate.
B: Looking to the future, what things are you most excited to see BWP doing?
J: BWP is very excited to see that we are addressing this undertone of race from so many angles, and is grateful to see the other societies like WARS and the African-Caribbean Society working hard through Let’s Talk Black and Black History Month. What a time to be alive!
Comments