The Somerville JCR is organising the annual Equalities Week from the 9th-15th May, which will feature a number of events about racial, sexual and gender equality and equality for those with disabilities.
Somerville College has always had equality and inclusiveness at its heart, stemming from its origins as a women’s college that accepted students from any religion. The JCR want to continue this fantastic legacy and promote the College’s ethos of diversity.
Last year, the week was a great success, with the highlight being a cultural diversity fashion show, encouraging students to promote their national dress and heritage.
Building on last year’s success, with even more exciting and informative events are taking place, this year including talks from Dr Emily Troscianko on anorexia at Oxford and Coach Sarah Jauncey, on empowering women in sport.
The JCR are also hosting a pub quiz, open mic night and a debate on the topical subject of cultural appropriation. Throughout the week, we are also going to raise money for Parasol, a local Oxford charity that focuses on inclusive activities for disabled and disadvantaged children and young people who are at risk of social exclusion.
The JCR are currently utilising Somerville’s crowdfunding platform to raise awareness and funds for the week. For more information about the campaign and to take part, please do visit https://somerville.hubbub.net/p/equalitiesweek2016 . If you would like to stay up-to-date with our developments, we can be found on both Facebook and Twitter. We hope to see you in third week!
Courtney Marsden (BA Jurisprudence, 2015)