| Description | An interview with Helen HOWARD, a single woman with one daughter, who is a pt. Researcher at university, born in Ipswich and now living in Birmingham. Helen HOWARD’s father was a Ret. Bus driver, born in Barbados and her mother a Ret. Nurse born in Barbados. In the interview, she talks about …
'HELEN HOWARD MS2255/2/075 Logged by Lorraine Blakemore
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I’m 26 years old, originally from Ipswich. Parents were from Barbados, met in England. Has 4 sisters. Describes environment.
1.02 When I was about 13 I’d decided that I wanted to go to university….Family good at adapting to living elsewhere.
2.20 Parents didn’t discuss moving to England in much detail.
4.08 I went to a school that was predominantly white…all white teachers….but that wasn’t odd….there were 6 children who were not white….I always had a sense that I was different at school….I can only really remember one incidence of someone pointing out the difference in colour….
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I think that was when I was about 9 or 10….Our lives at home was different from other people’s….but we were given the same opportunities….
51” Story about visiting a friend’s house and the contrast in lifestyle.
3.00 Girls were very much encouraged to take up sciences…
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Secondary schooling. First year of GCSEs. Preferred social sciences and arts. Lots of extra-curricular activities.
3.57 I was surrounded by most of my friends who wanted to go to university….If you don’t move outside you may have a limited view of the world….
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Attended sixth-form at a different school.
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The first time I came up to Birmingham was the Summer of 1992…I was just overwhelmed by the size of things...We walked around asking people which bus to take…and I do remember thinking UCE was the worst building I’d ever seen in my life, it was such a concrete monstrosity….But I really warmed to it….It was really nice not to stand out as the only black person…
2.07 and then when I moved up….I decided not to go into halls of residence….because I wanted to live in Birmingham rather than a student environment…I ended up living in Lozells….
2.49 Story about going to Broad Street.
3.22 Lozells is a very eclectic place….Describes the area.
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Recalls housemates.
1.20 The composition of the students….a good mix of local students and mature students and students of different ethnic backgrounds….it had very vocational courses….
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Describes the diversity of Birmingham. Story about going on a tour of the city.
2.14 Probably in the first year in the city I didn’t realise how segregated the city was and didn’t see that certain groups lived in certain places. But even in Perry Barr and Lozells there was a great deal of difference between the people who lived in those 2 places….
3.01 Accommodation subsequently occupied was condemned.
3.52 Describes living in Aston.
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Continues to describe Aston.
39” The landlord we had at the time probably took full advantage of the fact that we were students….his answer to our mice problem was to put out sweetie jars for us to catch them in…
1.49 Being a student and living in Aston. We were given guidance on what not to wear, to be respectful to the people who lived in the area who a lot of are Muslims…
3.02 Criminal activity in the area.
3.54 There isn’t a great deal of mixing between local people and students in nightclubs…I think Birmingham treats students very well….
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Reflects on being a student.
1.07 I think the type of course I was studying….made me realise the greater picture as what that means to be a black woman….
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Didn’t experience any discrimination at university…I have had some experiences of racism living in Birmingham….This year I’ve become involved in a project that looks at racially-motivated crimes….
1.36 Conversation with 2 white men on a train.
4.00 Story about being told that she is not like a ‘normal’ black person.
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Continues…... Reflects on why that situation might have occurred.
2.03 Spent a year on placement and moved to Milton Keynes at the Open University. First year working as an academic.
3.28 Returned to Birmingham and spent final year at university which was 1986 and got pregnant….moved back to Ipswich….
3.55 In 1997 I moved back to Birmingham…for several reasons….and I’ve never left…
4.40 Signed 3 year contract at university.
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I had my daughter in 1997….Reasons for moving back to Birmingham.
1.42 We moved back and we lived in Aston….
2.51 And there’s some underlying hostility towards single parents that you don’t have any great work ethic, that you’re scrounging off the state….which is the complete opposite to what it is. I felt quite fortunate as a single parent in that I’d already done a degree….Whereas lots of single parents in Birmingham are not in that position….
4.23 Story about attending a conference and experiencing prejudice regarding single parenting.
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Continued.
50” For people who are in the situation where they don’t have somewhere to live….the amount of people who now live on the streets in the city centre has increased by a great deal….Debilitating effects of not having access to education and welfare.
2.19 This new term “aggressive begging” that I’ve seen bandied about in the press….
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How she came to be studying at the University of Birmingham.
2.15 Birmingham University for post-graduate study is quite flexible in that if you’re paying the fees yourself, you only pay 50% of them….Discusses the benefits of studying in Birmingham and the CCSD.
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Contrasts the University of Birmingham and UCE.
3.38 Current post at University of Birmingham.
4.12 This whole notion of lifelong learning. It is something that can be realistic….If we can change the way people look at education from a very young age….
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Notions of community.
2.23 Relationship with parents and contrasted with her own relationship with her daughter.
4.03 Daughter attends a private nursery part-time.
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Views about relationships and changing roles for women.
ENDS. |