Sussex Politics Society has organised a Black Lives Matter Week and is urging those involved with different societies across the student body to get involved.

Now underway, the week of events encourages groups and individuals across Sussex to post content and raise awareness, ending with a fundraising quiz on Friday evening.

President of the society, Mahdi Murtaza told The Badger: 

“As a student group which caters to a range of views and perspectives, political neutrality is key to creating a welcoming environment for students and encouraging political participation. 

“What recent events have highlighted, however, is that racism and institutional discrimination have robbed generations of black people of the civil and legal rights that make political participation possible and meaningful.

“With this in mind, we are using our platform to support the Black Lives Matter movement by promoting relevant resources, and where possible, by organising online events aimed at addressing these issues.”

Acknowledging the confusion that has been raised about how individuals should go about tackling racism, the society has suggestions on how to best educate yourselves, as Mahdi explains: 

“We recommend students seek out a range of resources, from books and articles by important black figures, to podcasts, films and documentaries which explore these complex issues.

“To help students stay informed, participating societies are recommending a selection of resources throughout the week through our social media channels.”

This is in aid of supporting what the society sees as an important role that grassroots movements like BLM have to play in influencing government policy change.

Whilst racism is widely acknowledged to be a systemic problem, Mahdi suggests that fundamental change to political systems isn’t going to happen overnight, adding:

“If progress is to be made, it’s important to accept the realities of party politics and work within the system to encourage policy that meaningfully addresses these issues.”

The week started with the sharing of articles, books and petitions, followed by Talk About It Tuesday’s student recommendations, and continues with raising awareness of black figures influential within the societies’ respective communities.

Programme of events.

If you’re a member of a society who would like to get involved with the week, it’s not too late. Email the Politics Society at politics@societies.sussexstudent.com or contact them on Facebook to see how you could help share content or participate in the quiz on July 5.

There’s a £1 entry fee, with the proceeds collected donated to the Black Lives Matter movement.

For more information on their BLM week or to find out about the speakers that Pol Soc are talking to in their upcoming events, follow facebook.com/suspolsoc.

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