Ottery girls launch diversity campaign

Devon experiences "mostly positive"

Four A Level politics King’s School students have started a campaign about diversity in Devon. They want to promote an understanding of what constitutes racist behaviour or prejudice.
 
Sandra Sanena and Anoo Kakarlamudi, both 17, have recorded their experiences of growing up in Devon. Sandra’s family moved to Ottery St Mary from Zimbabwe when she was eight and Anoo’s parents brought her to the UK from India when she was 18 months old.
 
The students wanted to tell their own stories to help people understand how it feels to grow up as part of the Bame community in such a predominantly white area.  They say it's been a mostly positive experience, but they have both also faced some racism and prejudice over the years.

During the campaign regular videos and questions will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - and the students are actively encouraging people to give their views. Diversity in Devon is linked to a motion their Devon County councillor, Claire Wright, has submitted, which will be debated at the October full council meeting. The motion asks that town and parish councils review statutes and road names across Devon that implicitly celebrate slavery.

The students hope to persuade councillors to take action on a range of issues, including the celebration of the achievements of the Devon Bame community - and urging the government to review how the education curriculum covers the British Empire and colonialism.

Diversity in Devon has the backing of The King’s School and Bame charity Devon Development Education.
In correspondence with Cllr Wright, Sandra’ said:  “Growing up black in Devon has been difficult as I have noticed there is a level of ignorance in some people, through no fault of their own. However this comes at the cost of people like me and for so many years I have turned a blind eye to ignorance hoping it would get better.

“What I am asking for above all else is that the black community is given a voice and that we eradicate ignorance as it is what leads to racist incidents, which can happen at any age and with anyone.”
 
Sandra and Anoo are enthusiastically supported by their friends Lizzie Kilbride and Flo Nash who interviewed them for the launch videos and will be jointly managing the social media accounts. The campaign plan includes the regular release of a series of memes with statistics and data on aspects of racism, facts on inequality and a debate on the often misunderstood term ‘white privilege’.
 
The stats and facts were put together by Asha Pettet and Hattie Moore, keen anti-racist campaigners and former King’s School pupils, now at university. Anoo said: “Sandra and I have grown up in an almost exclusively white area, which has mostly been great, but it’s also been difficult at times. For people to say that racism or prejudice doesn’t exist in Devon is wrong.
 
“This campaign is about posing some thought provoking questions to people to - and also putting some stark or shocking facts out there, such as compensation to British slave owners after the abolition of slavery was paid right up until 2015. Shockingly, slaves received no compensation. We are asking for polite, but honest debate through social media on people’s thoughts on the issues we are raising. And we really hope that Devon County Council councillors support our motion!”
 
Claire Wright added: “It’s an absolute pleasure working with the girls. They’re bright, informed, enthusiastic, funny and kind.  I am sure they will initiate some fantastic debates. I’m really looking forward to helping to develop the campaign with them.”