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tv   Being Black at Cambridge  BBC News  January 1, 2021 1:30pm-2:01pm GMT

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begins a new life outside the european union. more rigorous customs checks apply for the first time in decades. researchers in london have confirmed that the new variant of coronavirus is "hugely" more transmissible than the previous version. the new virus increased the number of infections linked to each person by between 0.4 and 0.7. rescue efforts in norway are continuing, with rescuers going on foot into the crater caused by a landslip near oslo on wednesday. ten people including two children are still missing. adobe flash player — once one of the most popular ways to stream videos and play games online — has reached the end of its life, after failing to adapt to the smartphone era. now on bbc news, for black students
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studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, academic pressure isn't always the only challenge, for some it can feel like a new world. for black students studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, academic pressure isn't always the only challenge. for some, it can feel like entering a new world. you feel like you have to be strong. you know? my mum keeps saying to me, "just keep fighting. " tearfully: "just keep going, just get that degree." over the years, oxford and cambridge universities have come under pressure for their lack of ethnic diversity. i think it's a place where race has not been acknowledged as relevant, particularly to the whole intellectual experience of being at cambridge. last year at cambridge,
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the numbers improved on previous years, with the university accepting a record number of 91 black british undergraduates. but beyond numbers is the experience. i'm ashleyjohn—baptiste, a bbc reporter, but also a cambridge graduate myself, and whilst i'm so glad i studied there, as a mixed—race south londoner who grew up in care, it felt worlds apart from what i was used to. and nearly ten years on from my own time, i want to find out what life at cambridge has been like for a new wave of black british freshers. cheering the data is stark — black british undergraduates have never made up more than 3% of cambridge's undergraduate population. this doesn't include international students, who roughly make up a quarter of all undergraduates. steps have been made to improve things.
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in 2018, the university launched the stormzy scholarship to fund a selected number of black freshers. but i know first hand that, once you enter cambridge, it's not uncommon to feel out of place. and as much as the university did offer support, i often felt like an impostor and totally out of my depth. it's because of my own experience that i really want to know how current black students are coping in a space that is still predominantly white and privileged. so rude! and to give us their insight, meet fabianna. .. ..success. .. ..and sharon. having started their first term last october, i caught up with them a few weeks in. success is from manchester and studying medicine. for his nigerian parents,
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seeing their son study at cambridge is nothing less than a dream come true. back home in africa, when they want to maybe make fun of you if you are studying so much, they will ask you, "why are you studying so much?" "are you going to cambridge?" yeah, that's true! so that tells you... that tells you the position where cambridge is. it's a big thing for us. did you worry about what it would be like for your son being in cambridge as a black person? socially, is he going to cope? how is he going to cope eating, feeding himself? what do you mean by that? well, for instance, we don't have... you don't have african food there. will he continue to eat fish and chips every day? have you been eating fish and chips every day? come on! burger every day? so these things get me concerned. cambridge, there's no jollof rice. and if there's nojollof rice, there's nojollof rice. i was definitely worried. first thought, initial thought,
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definitely ethnic diversity. i could count the amount of ethnic people that i could see probably on two hands. grab some of this. i'm taking even more... success is enjoying university a few weeks in, but he was a bit concerned about finding a barber in cambridge who could cut afro hair. big day! success, why has it taken you so long to get a haircut in cambridge? ah, man! when i looked in the mirror one day and saw this mess, i didn't really know where to go. is it going to look like this for eight weeks? am i going to have to buy 50 hats to cover it up? were you concerned that you wouldn't be able to find a barber shop that could do afro hair? yeah, genuinely, iwas a bit worried about it. a few weeks into cambridge, how's it going? yeah. ah, man! it's stressful. i did kind of worry
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about fitting myself, from where i come from, this, like, very, very traditional, very nigerian culture, into what is, like, what i assume to be, like, an upper—class white community. so i was a bit worried, but it has been good. like, i have found people that are quite like me. i've found people that are very different to me, and we get on, and, yeah, it'sjust been a really good experience. i can't lie, it's been brilliant. when i heard about cambridge and oxford and all that kind of stuff, like, this is the place that i've wanted to go to. love that! sharon from tottenham is studying history and spanish. herfamily, of eritrean origin, have come to visit. growing up, cambridge always was seen as something so, like, unattainable, but it was always, like, a goalfor you, you always wanted to go to cambridge. i feel like cambridge is very welcoming. and she's, like, representing for eritrea, there's not that many eritreans that go to cambridge. i came, just this short time in this country, and i never
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dreamed that my daughter would go to cambridge. but it'sjust a dream. thank you, sharon, for making me proud as a mum. i think you do get a sense that you are different. it doesn't feel bad, but it'sjust something that you do have to kind ofjust think about, just be like... you know, if you enter certain, like, classes, you might be the only person of colour there. you might be the only black face there, you might be the only one with your hair there. do you know what i mean? your hair? yeah! what do you mean by that? you know, like, my big, curly hair! afro hair? yeah, like some of my friends have said, like, they've changed hairstyles and then people don't recognise who they are. academically, it's definitely lived up to its name. but what i was surprised about is how i've been eased into it, in a way. fabianna is from coventry, where she lives with herjamaican mum. she's studying psychology and behavioural sciences. you know where you're going, so you had to play the part. it doesn't work overnight, just get up and say, "i'm going to be posh." you've been working towards this. you're not a follower, you're a leader! i'm a leader!
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mm—hm! you are! just a few weeks in, fabianna says she encountered racial discrimination from another student at a social event. the incident involved the use of a racial slur. when we were all drinking together, so this boyjust said, like, a really ignorant comment. hejust said, "i'm too drunk to say the n—word." so that was something that, like, threw me off, because i've never really experienced someone, like, outwardly saying something like that to me, like, i've never been called the n—word or anything like that. and just for detail... yeah? ..this happened onsite at the university? yeah. and this was another cambridge student? yeah, so it happened at girton in ourunderground bar when we were all drinking together, by another student. was this a white student? yeah, it was a white student, a white boy. but it really threw me off, because i was with another friend of mine that's also black, and were just like, like, never gone
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through something like that. you're used to the microaggressions, but you're not used to someone, like, outwardly saying something like that to you. she decided not to report the issue, but confronted the student privately, who she says later apologised. when that comment was said... ..what went through your head? it was mainly just shock, like, ididn‘t... i couldn't say anything. everyone was just like, "oh, my gosh," "i can't believe he's just said that." but no—one really spoke up apart from me and my black friend. but when someone makes a comment towards you like that, you're definitely like, "i'm black at cambridge." whilst the incident did have a negative impact, fabianna is positive about her start at cambridge. what do you want out of your first year at cambridge university? i just want to build, like, loads of relationships with people.
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like, being here, any conversation you have could be a link for yourfuture. mostly i'm fine, like, i'm having a good time. it's been really, really good. it's not too long after her own encounter that fabianna hears of another black student who alleges they've been discriminated against. according to the student, the incident involved a staff member from trinity college, which is one of the colleges of cambridge university. i was on the train, one of my feet was on the seat, and i wasjust sitting there. a man from trinity college came on, looked at me in disgust, and just literally looked over andjust said... bleep verbally assaulted me on the train... yeah. for no reason. ..for literally no reason. the only reason, i believe, is because my foot was on the seat. yeah. no—one was around and i was unwell. he had the trinity college lanyard, he had the trinity college tie. he had the trinity college uniform, it was very clear that he was from there. and when i said to him, "i'm just letting you know "i'm going to be reporting you to the university "for what you just called me,"
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he said, "go on, then. "i've got loads of friends who work inside the university." i think to myself, "would i have been spoken to like that "if i were a white man?" yeah. so did you complain to the university about the situation? i complained to the university. yes, they sent me some links in an email. they sent me over to a complaints line that i could use. i had people contacting me saying, "where are you?" and i felt too embarrassed to even reply to them and say what was going on, because it was having such an effect on me. it was having such an effect on me, and... it really grates me that i'm getting emotional about it... yeah. ..because you feel like you have to be strong. you know? my mum keeps saying to me, "just keep fighting. " tearfully: "just keep going, just get that degree." she's saying, "do you want to drop out? "do you want to leave?" so you felt like you wanted to drop out because of these incidents? i have, but i'm fighting for every other black person who i know needs
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to occupy these spaces. because black people need to come here. black people need to know that they need to get here so that we can pave a way for others, and we need to break that glass ceiling. and i will not leave this place, and i will not shut up, i will not be quiet until... ..until i see change. the university has taken steps to improve its diversity, but it's clear that some black students still struggle. i took the guys to share their concerns with the university's vice—chancellor. a lot of black students feel like, when they get here, they don't really feel like a part of the university. like, instances where we just feel like outcasts. what mechanisms does
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the university have for issues that black students experience? so the first step is creating a critical mass of bame students, black students in particular, so that people never feel alone. one of the things that we've done is committed to a three—year programme of increasing dialogue around issues of race. do you think this is a place that is institutionally racist? i think it's a place where race has not been acknowledged as relevant, particularly to the whole intellectual experience of being at cambridge. so, in that sense, i would say it is racist because it doesn't acknowledge race in people's lives. my commitment to every student coming to cambridge is that she or he should feel that they are fully a part of the institution. part of that is making sure that people who come from backgrounds that are different, and particularly students who come from race backgrounds that are not dominant, have to feel at home. what do you guys make of the stormzy scholarship?
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yeah, i think it's sick. like, i really, really love, like, the work that you guys and stormzy have done. yes, it was great, but i was wondering, like, is this really his responsibility? so the stormzy scholarships are not the only scholarships available to black students, or any student, for that matter. we've got a huge initiative called the student support initiative where we're trying to raise £500 million as part of ouroverall campaign, purely for student support. and that's really directed at people who are coming from widening participation backgrounds, less privileged backgrounds, who wouldn't necessarily feel that they had the resources to come to a place like cambridge. it is our responsibility. stormzy came to us, and we were really grateful, because itjust... it was a way of telling the story in a much more accessible manner. but it's a much wider story than just stormzy. since last meeting the students, they've
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all joined the university's african caribbean society, also known as the acs. it's a university club that celebrates african and caribbean culture. and tonight, a few weeks into the new term, they're attending a special dinner. it's not your average student party, but it's still a vibe. there's a strong turnout for the dinner, made up entirely of black and ethnic minority students. we had a group of students who suggested that we run a dinner specifically to celebrate our ethnic diversity in cambridge, and we thought it was a great idea. we decided to put it on, host the event. and because it was so popular, we've done it every year since then. after a drinks reception, the students make their way into the main hall for tonight's dinner. wanipa is the president of the acs. when else in cambridge's history would you get a room full of, you know, black and minority ethnic students? and, like, we're alljust here, existing and thriving, it's just such a beautiful symbol of how far we've come, and we're here to stay, and to thrive, basically. yeah.
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we're here to stay. we're here to stay! i'm not leaving now! what's on the menu? right, so, we've got caribbean spiced chicken wings, or cauliflower. and then we've got salmon jerk, caribbean pea rice. oh, wow! so it's caribbean food? yeah, but caribbean pea rice? 0k! interesting, interesting. it was just over halfway through the academic year that the national lockdown was announced as a result of the coronavirus. the university closed, students sent home, lectures were moved online. it marks the end of their student experience as they knew it. we will beat the coronavirus, and we will beat it together. and therefore i urge you, at this moment of national emergency, to stay at home, protect our nhs, and save lives. this whole coronavirus thing has just been getting on my nerves. i feel like it's stressing everyone out.
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there's nothing to look forward to because summer is basically locked off now. like, this whole situation is just putting the whole country into panic. i wish that this virus would just disappear next week, but it seems to be getting worse and worse. i've done lots of work, but i have nothing to show for the year. like, i have to take exams at home. it'sjust, like, it's not going to be an accurate representation of what i'm capable of, because i'm going to be doing it at home, and there's loads of students like myself, like, have an environment at home where you just feel like you just can't really work. like, this makes me feel like what was the point of this year? like, ifeel like i need a refund on my 9k or something. this is me on my last day here in cambridge for the entire year! this coronavirus stuff has made it so easter term's been cancelled, which is really sad. the university issued, like, a code red. those of us who could leave were asked to leave as soon as possible. it's been four weeks, i think,
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since i was back at home. what the heck is going on with my hair? exams are in september now. it is what it is. i've not done any work in, like, three weeks! term is cancelled, in terms of, there's not going to be anything in cambridge, but we still have online lectures. nothing is what i've been up to! i've done literallyjack! like, work has been practically non—existent. and whilst dealing with lockdown, black lives matter protests broke out across the uk in the summer following the death of george floyd in the us. my mental health is not in the best shape. i'm sure every black person in cambridge has a story to share about some sort of covert racism or ignorance that we've experienced, and it's nice in times like this, when... ..black lives are up for discussion, having people
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around you that have had the same experiences as you. it's kind of hard being away from cambridge and not having that support system. so, yeah, it makes me miss cambridge a lot. uni's almost done. i've literally got, like, one assessment left to do, and then i'll have finished first year. hey, guys. so today is saturday 6th june, and we are on our way to our second protest for black lives matter. it wasjust, like, the best thing, like, the level of solidarity, the level of, like, unity. it's been really amazing, despite whatever the media's trying to say. like, whatever they're trying to say and make out like it was really violent. it was not. no violence. it was really peaceful. 0k, i've just come off the phone. i've just had my director of studies meeting, so kind of like my parents' evening without my parent, and i got my exam results! somehow, i managed to bag a first in both
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and then when she told me, iwasjust like... i just... i don't know how, especially in this term, because it's just been, like, it's been disgracefully hard! and i don't think i've actually had time tojust kind of process this year properly and just sit down and, like... i don't know. a lot of it was kind of filled with fearand, like, obviously the whole, you know, impostor syndrome and feeling like, "do you really belong here?" like, "are you really the type of person they're looking for? "were you just kind of, you know, "were you a bit of, like, a pity acceptance?" there's all those kind of things that rush into your mind, and thenjust kind of come out on the other side. i don't know, it's actually a miracle, and if this is what i can achieve in my first year... best believe! it's been so long since i've seen the students, so long that a whole term has passed. i catch up with them to find out how, despite everything that's happened, they feel their first year has panned out. all right, so you guys have had a year of being at cambridge. is this a space where black people can flourish?
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it is. yeah. it is, because i feel like i've learned a lot about myself, and i've always been very aware of my blackness, very immersed in my culture. but i always say that i've never felt as black as i have here in cambridge! what do you mean by that? i mean, like, in coventry, there's a lot of black people around. there's asian people around me. like, it's very diverse. but here, it's not diverse. you're very aware that you are black here. like, it's something that i realised in freshers‘ week. but that doesn't mean that you can't flourish. like, your environment can make things difficult for you, but it's not a barrier. yeah. you can overcome whatever you want to overcome... absolutely. ..and be who you need to be. it mightjust be a little bit more difficult, but that doesn't mean you can't do it. when we spoke to the vice—chancellor, stephen toope, he admitted that race was an issue that needed to be explored more. he even acknowledged stains of institutional racism. what needs to change, in light of everything that's
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happened over the summer? words, especially in this day and age, are very cheap. like, you can say something and, you know, if what you say, like, appeases the masses, per se, at that time, then you can kind of get away with not doing anything. yeah. and i think that, for a very long time, powerful institutions, you know, cambridge included, have fallen, you know, to that kind of standard. you know, they'll say something, and there will be no, you know, actionable plan in place. that's the next step. it's all well and good changing sentiments and feelings towards something, but if there's no practicality, if there's nothing that you apply to make black students feel more, you know, safe and more accepted in this community, then, at the end of the day, you know, you can't say we've made progress. now, of course, as well as lockdown, we've had... ..black lives matter protests in the wake of the death of george floyd.
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as black students at cambridge, how are you feeling? it made me just become disillusioned with, like, almost everything. i think i'd been a person initially thatjust, like, trusted the system. even if it was, like, implicitly, and i don't mean the system like the government, or, like, something big. but just, if you just stick by the rules, and if you just, you know, do what you need to do in the capacity that you can, like, things will be fine. and then just, like, it was like bit by bit everything wasjust, like, no, actually, just no. we've tidied our hair. we've spoken the way that we need to speak. we've silenced these elements of our culture. we've done this to be accommodated in these spaces, and still that's not enough, and still you're going to go on social media and still see people dying, and still see just, like, just injustices everywhere, and then having to confront that. i ended up feeling guilty because i was like, why did i tolerate so much? why did ijust think so many things like little microaggressions or little comments or little perspectives ofjust my place here in like a white, so—called, quote unquote, white country. like, there's more to be done, and there's more that
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i can say and speak out about without feeling like i'm disrupting people or making people uncomfortable. that was really hard to deal with, and ifeel like if i was in cambridge, we would have, like, our friends in acs and everything to be able to talk about it, and share how we feel. but doing that on your own, lockdown in itself was hard, like mentally, that drained a lot of people. but then on top of that, with being black and seeing, like, your people hurting was really, really hard to deal with in lockdown. outside of academics, i think acs is going to be, like, a really big part of my year this year, and just being able to create just an amazing space, covid, no covid, just because we've got such a huge intake of black freshers, and, like, ijust want them to be able to just experience what we experienced.
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hello. the year may have changed, but the weather, not so much. it is still cold out there and will remain cold for the next few days. some showers and a mixture of sleet and snow and also some sunshine. in the satellite picture, you can see a lot of cloud that has been pushing its way southwards, which has been producing some rain with sleet and snow over high ground and that has been pushing across england and wales and will continue to do so through the rest of the day. some showers across eastern coasts of england into parts of northern
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and north—east scotland. some of these wintry on high ground, but even to quite low levels later in the day. not a bad end to the day in northern ireland, but it will turn chilly into the first part of the evening and then through the night it will get very cold indeed particularly where we have clear skies. some showers by the north coast in northern ireland and northern scotland. and some cloud, mist and murk towards the south—east. where we have those clear skies in the west and in the north—west, that is where it will get coldest of all into tomorrow morning. lows of —7 or —8. a chilly start to saturday with some ice around but there should be some sunshine in many spots. some showers for northern ireland, west wales, devon and cornwall and more for eastern scotland and england. some of those may drift inland towards parts of the north midlands as we go through the afternoon. could be some sleet and snow mixing in with those. another pretty chilly day on saturday. as we get into sunday,
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this area of high pressure wobbles its way northwards, we slightly shift the wind direction. the winds will come in from the north—east and will be stronger by sunday as well, so it is going to feel particularly raw in those strong winds. but that will focus showers into eastern areas, whereas further west it should be dry by this stage. those temperatures will struggle, as i mentioned. add on the strength of the wind and it will feel really cold and raw. into the start of next week, high—pressure to the north, lower pressure down to the south. quite a few white lines on the chart squashing together. that shows it will be windy to monday and into tuesday, particularly across the southern part of the uk. that wind coming from a relatively cold place so it'll stay chilly actually throughout the coming week and we are likely to see some rain, sleet and snow at times.
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this is bbc news, these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. a new era begins, as the brexit transition period ends and the uk completes its formal separation from the european union. doctors warn that hospital staff in the uk are at battlestations as the number of patients with coronavirus continues to rise. they are turning whole floors into additional icu space. that's when we know we are in a very challenging place. asjoe biden prepares to take office in less than three weeks' time, we look ahead to a dramatic shift in us politics. and bringing in the new year — in us politics. from london to new york, cities and countries

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