We were led into another conference hall (with refreshments) and this time we joined a group of Manchester-based creatives for a round-table discussion on equality in our city. This included dancers, writers, producers, fashion designers and poets and was co-hosted by Kya Buller (the founder and Editor-in-Chief) & Amelia Ellis (the assistant editor) of Aurelia Magazine; a publication that focuses on uplifting the first-person stories of marginalised genders.
Again we were given paper and pencils and
given a few moments to write down our thoughts on three different topics: What
does Manchester mean to me? What are your hopes for a future Manchester? And
finally, how would experiencing equality change me?
Hearing other people’s answers made me
realize that the three main issues of equality, race and the environment, that
are close to my heart were shared by so
many others in the room that day.
One person hoped for a future Manchester
that featured a better education system that didn’t put all of the responsibilities
on teachers. One person hoped that housing would become affordable for
everyone. Another hoped for more green spaces in the city. Another person said
that experiencing equality would mean no longer having to be afraid, another;
that they would no longer have to code-switch; for another person it meant that
they wouldn’t be seen as a spokesperson all of the time.
It
was amazing to see people speak about the things that mattered to them, that
Manchester, for so many, means home (and someone said “You can be as invisible
as you want to be or as seen as you want to be in this city.”) a sentiment that
echoed in the answers I gave for each question.
-----------------
- What does Manchester mean to me? It means home, a safe space for me to plant my roots, to grow, expand, explore and evolve. It’s the birthplace of the industrial revolution, textile, music, science, female rights. History is imbedded in the paving stones of the trams that lace the city centre pathways. Manchester is where I came to find out who I am.
- What are your hopes for a future Manchester? That it continues to be the city that sets the standard of opening up the world, that inclusion becomes as synonymous to the city’s identity as it’s indie rock origins. That everyone’s start here gives them the power and strength to take what they learn and make the world a better place where future generations no longer have to be afraid of their choices, voices or the place that they occupy.
- How would experiencing equality change me? It would mean that I would feel like I had the same chances as everyone else, that I would only have to work twice as hard instead of ten times as hard just to be heard. That I would be able to engage with a rainbow of people and not have to be seen as smarter than I actually am. That I wouldn’t have to be afraid (my experience at the bus stop that morning was still on my mind), that I wouldn’t have to code switch. We think of all of these issues as separate, education, health care, equality, the environment, racism, but they are all interlinking micro aggressions that continually impact each other and if we continue to have more spaces like Looking Forward to Tomorrow we can start having the conversations that can break these problems down and actually solve them.
This roundtable
discussion was the first that I had ever attended and it was nice to finally
have the conversations that I’d been craving to have for years. And it was with
a great sense of quiet happiness that I joined the group going back to the
auditorium for the final section of the event that day……
Need something to brighten up your day and remind you you're not alone? Then make sure you check out Aurelia Magazine.
https://aureliamagazine.com/
And here is the link to my bus stop experience:
https://themancyank.blogspot.com/2021/07/bus-stop-bullshit-foul-language.html
Comments
Post a Comment