English | Filipino
In the context of the University of Oxford, we hope our names; faces and stories will emphasise that there is a place for everyone at Oxford. According to last year’s admissions data, 700 Oxford undergraduates identify as mixed. In 2016, BAME students accounted for 15.9% of the undergraduate intake. Oxford is diversifying, albeit slowly. We hope to empower mixed heritage students at Oxford and foster a community where they can safely share their own opinions, experiences and stories.
My parents met in London, and we've lived there all my life, my Dad is from London, and my Mum is from the Philippines. I have experienced casual racism while at Oxford, I've had people turn me down after I've asked them out by saying they ‘don't like Asian girls’. I've had people at college events ask me ‘Where are you really from?’, and I've even had people crack racist jokes in front of me, expecting me (me!) to laugh. One time, in the common room, someone thought they'd provoke the room by making a racist joke, no one laughed, but no one said anything either. At the time, I didn't see why it was down to me, the only person of colour in the room, to say something. It actually took me a while to report it, but I'm glad I did. I was so done with the whole thing by the end, I can remember saying to another mixed-raced friend, ‘How many degrees do you need to not be racist?!’. The answer is always more than you think. I decided to say something in the end because I realised that while I had a large support network in Oxford, both inside and outside of college, not everyone else would. It was affirming to have my friends back me up too. I needed it! Oxford can be welcoming and inclusive, but only thanks to the work of a lot of students and staff who make the effort to make Oxford a more inclusive place. I hope I am one of them! I've definitely become more race-conscious since coming to university, definitely. It's in part because the university is much less diverse than the Big Smoke, but also because I've taken the time to think more about it! Education! I feel as though I should be taking part in the race conversation more! I'm a mixed-raced working class woman doing a doctorate - I should definitely be making more noise about it. Oxford’s Mixed Heritage Society has definitely provided me with a sense of community and belonging at Oxford.
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