“We cannot let the bigots win” emerged as the loudest, rousing cry from ‘Love Music Hate Racism Hate Homophobia,’ an event held at the Knights Park Students Union on Friday night.
Amy Bush, a second year Creative Writing and Human Rights student, and head of the LGBT society, opened the spoken word section of the event with an impassioned speech, explaining that as a gay woman “your identity becomes politicised.”
She said: “the politics of pride [refers to] every group of people, every community that has been victimised and discriminated against, it refers to nationality, to religion, to gender identity, to race and to class.”
Another speaker at the event was Abi Fashina, a third year English Literature and Film Studies student at Kingston. Fashina delivered a spoken word poem and said, “I think this kind of [event] is paramount to student life. University is where we become the people who will impact the world.”
The highly politicised readings were met with cheers as conversations and debates broke out around the room. “If you say nothing about your opinions and about your politics you mirror compliance with a system that is evil and corrupt and wrong,” said Bush.
Alongside spoken word pieces a number of students performed musical act, including Jamie Joseph, Max Catling, Eddy Smith and Parva Hinton.
The event is one of a number organised this year by various societies aimed at improving tolerance and social understanding.
Erica Goncalves Lopes
Bethany Aspinall
Megan Kelly