Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change - Hardcover

THE FLAGSHIP 2019 RELEASE OF #MERKY BOOKS
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‘Brilliant... full of the knowledge, understanding, tools and kindness that every black girl needs, through university and beyond. Plus it’s funny, too.’ CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, author of Queenie

A groundbreaking exploration of the problems of diversity in education, by two extremely talented young graduates.

As a minority in a predominantly white institution, taking up space is an act of resistance. And in higher education, feeling like you constantly have to justify your existence within institutions that weren't made for you is an ongoing struggle for many people.

Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi, two recent Cambridge graduates, wrote Taking Up Space as a guide and a manifesto for change: tackling issues of access, unrepresentative curricula, discrimination in the classroom, the problems of activism, and life before and after university.

Featuring honest conversations with students past and present, Taking Up Space goes beyond the buzzwords of diversity and inclusion and explores what those words truly mean for young black girls today.
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‘A hugely important tool that I wish I’d had to guide me through university.’ PAULA AKPAN, co-founder of Black Girl Fest

‘A shocking account of how racism operates ... essential’ BERNADINE EVARISTO
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#Merky Books was set up by publishers Penguin Random House and Stormzy in June 2018 to find and publish the best writers of a new generation and to publish the stories that are not being heard. #Merky Books aims to open up the world of publishing, and this year has launched a New Writer’s Prize and will soon be launching a #Merky Books traineeship.

‘I know too many talented writers that don’t always have an outlet or a means to get their work seen, and hopefully #Merky Books can now be a reference point for them to say “I can be an author”, and for that to be a realistic and achievable goal... Reading and writing as a kid were integral to where I am today and I, from the bottom of my heart, cannot wait to hear your stories and get them out into the big wide world.’
STORMZY

Chelsea Kwakye (Author)
Chelsea Kwakye is a first-class honours History graduate from Homerton College, Cambridge. Whilst at Cambridge she was the only black girl in her year group of around 200 to read History. In her final year, she was Vice-President of the African-Caribbean Society and competed in a Cambridge vs. Oxford Varsity Athletics match. She is currently studying at the University of Law in preparation for a training contract with a city law firm in London.

Ore Ogunbiyi (Author)
Ore Ogunbiyi is an HSPS (Politics and International Relations) graduate from Jesus College, Cambridge. She has been behind the Benin Bronze repatriation campaign, the #BlackMenofCambridgeUniversity campaign and was also President of the university’s African-Caribbean Society. She was born in England, moved to Nigeria at the age of 7 and returned to England aged 13. She is currently studying a Master’s in Journalism at Columbia University, New York.