My name is Lucia Vinyard and I am writing this article on behalf of Boys in Mind/Girls Mind Too, a youth led organisation based in B&NES.
I am 19 years old and I am a second year drama school student studying at Rose Bruford. I got involved with BIM/GMT in summer after getting involved in a fellow Youth Advisor’s Black Lives Matter video discussing my experiences of racism and discrimination growing up in Bath.
Since then I have been part of many events and planning to try and promote BLM and help support ethnic minorities through racism and mental health issues they are facing.
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So what have I been up to involving the BLM movement? I was a panellist for the BLM webinar for Bath and North East Somerset where I discussed changes that could be made in our society starting within educational institutions such as schools and universities.
I also wrote a blog called “Why can’t I be like the other pretty girls? Afro hair in a white society” which explored some of my own personal issues with race and what growing up with Afro hair was like in a white society. This can be found on our website along with many of our other inspirational film projects: www.boysinmind.co.uk
I recently took part in a local online mental health workshop to discuss ways of combating racism and ways to support ethnic minorities who face discrimination on a regular basis. I also was given the incredible opportunity to do input into a teacher training session at a school in Bath, discussing with the teachers ways to promote inclusivity and diversity and I suggested things such as bringing in role models for students and setting up equalities teams within schools.
One of the best things about working for Boys in Mind is that it is a youth led organisation so I am working alongside adults with my ideas and views always being supported and voiced.
It is interesting to me that many people in Bath feel like slavery is so far away from them despite the fact that Georgian Bath was built largely due to the British Slave Trade. Many of Bath’s buildings have strong connections with slavery and it should be a crucial part of our narrative.
Bristol is only a few miles away from Bath and this was one of the main trading ports during the transatlantic slave trade which ran between Europe, Africa and the Americas. For over a century, until the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, more than 2,100 ships set sail for Africa from Bristol onto the Americas including the Caribbean Islands, transporting about 500,000 Africans into slavery.
During the 18th century black people made up a significant part of the population of Bath with many of them working as servants. Many slave owners from America and Caribbean came to Bath as they wanted to retire or attend the spa and often brought freed slaves with them. For me this history is crucial as it shows that that slavery is not as distant to the population of Bath as some may believe and this explains why institutional racism still exist in today’s society.
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On a more positive note, Boys in Mind is raising awareness and making a difference in Bath and North East Somerset. I am now working towards Boys in Mind’s second BLM film exploring good practice in schools in Bath and North East Somerset regarding anti-racist work and celebrating cultural diversity. I am very grateful to be a member of the team and cannot wait for what future projects will bring.
Find out more:
Boys In Mind/Girls Mind Too Website: boysinmind.co.uk
Watch Black Lives Matter Webinar – Young Peoples Perspective
This article was first published in 2020.