Meet Lancs BME student officer determined to make uni better for BAME students

Max Kafula is Lancaster University’s BME Student Officer Elect, officially coming into his position at the beginning of July. On Wednesday, Max posted a statement on Facebook outlining what he aims to do during his time in the position, specifically in light of George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement globally, students have been eagerly waiting for a response from the University and the Union.

“My new message is ‘Fighting for change'”

Max Kafula has provided a response on how he wants to make changes to the BAME experience at Lancaster University:

“Hello everyone! If you don’t know who I am, my name is Max, and I am the BME Students Officer- Elect for Lancaster University.

“On March 6th, 2020, after an intensive 12 days campaigning period, I was elected by you to become your next PTO. I was elected with a mandate to improve the welfare of all BME Students, ensuring that your voices were heard not by me but with LUSU and with the University itself. I am sure if you could remember what my campaign slogan was ‘Delivering Max results!’. In the time since I was elected to now, I began to question, what will my tenure as your PTO would be like? I am here today to tell you what to expect, what my tenure will be like.

“As your next BME Students Officer, I will be adopting a new campaign message. A message that can bring unity. A message that brings change, a movement that brings progress, a message that can bring justice to all BAME Students, a message that brings hope. Thus, my new message is ‘Fighting for change’.

“No BAME students at Lancaster University will be left behind, no more BAME students will be seen as cash cows for the uni”

“From now on, I will be making two promises to you. In which I will promise that no BAME students at Lancaster University will be left behind, no more BAME students will be seen as cash cows for the uni. No more BAME students will slip through the cracks of a broken system. No more BAME students should be left out of discussions that will have an effect on their mental health, welfare and education. No more BAME students will be left behind.

“We all came to this uni, thinking that we will be heard, our needs will be met and that we will be seen. My god have we been let down. We have been let down by people who we trusted to ensure that our needs were met. We have been let down by a system that was supposed to protect us, enhance our potential and strengthen our representation. We have situations where out issues have been swept under the carpet. Campaigns led by BAME students have fallen on deaf ears and racism have been left unchecked or dismissed. I say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

“I will not tolerate this any longer”

“So I will say this today, I will not tolerate this any longer. We will not tolerate this any longer. Thus, I will my second promise to you today. I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU. We will fight to make sure that we have a better, improved, safer discrimination policy for all societies and sports. We will fight to make sure that the needs of BAME students are met. We will fight to make sure that the people can hear your voices. We will fight to make sure that the welfare of all students is met. We will fight to make sure that you are protected. We will fight to make sure that you are represented. If any obstacle comes our way, we shall fight on. If we are held back, we shall fight on.

“We will fight together as a community and as a movement to make sure that BAME Students will have a better future”

“Our powers may be limited, but out resolve for change has never been stronger. We will fight to bring change. We will fight to bring progress. We will fight to bring hope. We will fight to make sure, by the time we leave this uni, we will be proud of what we have accomplished, not as students, but as fighters and as a community.

“I can tell you now, that my first action as your PTO, I will introduce the first-ever Ethnic Diversity Welfare Secretary! This role will help us bring change. TO bring change on how we report issues, to bring change. Where BAME students will have someone other myself, who knows what they go through. To bring change, where we highlight that the welfare of BAME students’ matter, and not to be used as a tool for political tokenism. This will be the first of many reforms that I will bring under my tenure as your next PTO.

We will fight together as a community and as a movement to make sure that BAME Students will have a better future.”

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