3V's: Voice, Visibility, and Validation
A Campaign Led By Eliza Torres, VP for FHSCE and FMS
What is the 3V's Campaign?
During the Black History Month celebrations I continually told students that this was not only a month celebration. In my eyes, it is a continuous celebration that should occur throughout the year. The importance of representation is not lost on me as an African-American woman. I wanted to run a campaign that would help give BME students a platform that encouraged a continuous celebration of themselves, one where they directly fed into the process and were at the heart of the images and events being put on.
The inspiration for the 3Vs’ campaign came name came from a brilliant article I read by Dr. Anthony Grollman where he explicitly names the importance of Voice, Visibility and Validation as the key to representation for minority groups. Here’s the link to the article if you fancy a read, I recommend it!
The events that fall under this campaign will aim to promote pride through cultural awareness, entertainment and education. Although ambitious, I would like to work towards breaking down barriers of ignorance of different heritages, through facilitating events that encourage better understanding thus enhancing the diverse community we have within the ARU community.
The graphic image project portion of this campaign is both sophisticated and interactive. I will be interviewing 10-15 different students cross campus who identify as BME. In the brief interview I will take their photo and ask them what each V (Voice, Visibility and Validation) means to them as BME students at ARU. Working closely with our communications team, we will then compile all the different images of students into one face. Pioneering the message that ‘We are one’, the video produced alongside this image will voice snippets of what students stated in their interviews.
This is still in production, so if you are interested in being a part of the project please feel free to email me or FB message me. My email is e.torres@angliastudent.com and my Facebook name is Eliza Torres.
Events to kick off the campaign
During Global Week I rolled out two events to showcase the 3V’s message. On the 12th of March from 7pm-9pm in The Dome. We kicked off our first nighttime event with a ‘Reppin your roots’ talent show. This event was an open mic night for anyone to come up and share either song, dance, proverbs or poetry.
On Tuesday the 13th of March from 7pm-10:00pm we held a global fashion show. The fashion show showcased and celebrated students in their traditional dress as the host described what country the clothing is from and a bit of history behind the clothing. ALL were welcome to join in and model! We had students from all over the world take part, from Mauritius to Syria.
We will also be holding another Cultural Give-It-A-Go following the success of our last one! This time we're bringing Nigeria to Cambridge. The date is yet to be confirmed but we will have music, food, and lots more. Check out more information here!