British | Nigerian/British
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.
I identify as British mixed race (Nigerian and British), Christian and heterosexual. My Mum is mixed Nigerian and White British and my Dad is White British. I have lots of positive experiences from being mixed-race. The biggest one for me is the starting of OMHS with Alyssa and creating something that has the potential to benefit so many people and widen the conversation about mixed heritage identity which I don’t think has been fully explored yet. It is exciting to be the part of the first society of this type at any UK university and create something I feel passionate about. I had 2 cousins who had both been to Oxford, so had an idea of what it was going to be like in general. My heritage had no factor in my decision to apply to Oxford. I have experienced a little of racism at Oxford, but I experienced more growing up. Oxford has more racial diversity than the environment I grew up. I think Oxford is trying to be welcoming and inclusive environment. I don’t think it always manages to achieve this though. I have found that I feel more comfortable discussing my identity at Oxford as there are far more people with a similar heritage here than when I was growing up. I have met people at Oxford who have a very similar heritage to me, this was something that I had never experienced before except with my cousins. I have never felt uncomfortable in Oxford due to my race, but I am quite White passing. I do think it is important that OMHS represents the diversity of the mixed heritage students and showcases this, though projects such as this one. We started Oxford Mixed Heritage Society to create a community for mixed heritage students and increase discourse of mixed heritage identity coming from people of mixed heritage. We are a very new society and that comes with challenges, but it is exciting to be part of something that has so much potential. On a more personal note, starting the society has allowed me to meet lots of people I might not have met otherwise.
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