Leading chants at a student rally to support UCU strikes

Are we defined by struggle?

There is an expectation when putting yourself up for a role that represents others that you need to have experienced what you represent explicitly. There’s of course practical and logical reasons as to why this is the case. Nobody wants an out of touch careerist feigning empathy and doing very little to advance your cause.

When it comes to a CV of struggle, I’ve got the credentials. I could talk at great length about growing up another poverty statistic, victim of hate crime, being homeless multiple times and being in the care system. But I choose to not let that define me, and frankly it would feel gross and wrong to utilise that pain for benefit. When I think of these struggles, they’re really just ways in which I felt vulnerable and victimised. These are the struggles of merely existing with a particular set of identities.

The beautiful people of the Solidarity Action Network after winning the recent referendum

Too often our perspective on struggle is one in which we think of how we are victimised by the world around us. Which we most certainly are, exploitation is a necessary component to capitalism and it pervades every aspect of life. Racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia are all symptomatic of a hegemonic structure built on concepts of domination and hierarchy. Having acknowledged that, I believe it is the way in which we fight to not just survive these harsh realities but to thrive, that defines struggle. To struggle, means to fight or engage in resistance.

Asking the question again, are we defined by struggle? Looking back on my life through the lens of resistance, I feel much more comfortable remembering the times I fought back, and choosing to define myself by that metric.

I’d been going to protests since I was a child, then it was the Iraq War, but as an adult it was going to a BLM counter-protest that really helped awaken a sense of class and racial consciousness, as well as solidarity. When the EDL took to Westminster to march for fascism, I was there alongside thousands of others who went to fight racism back into the underground. When the Met police kettled us and bashed us with their riot shields and hit us with batons, we bashed and hit back. When the institutions of power defend fascism, they are taking a side. I was in awe of how people were willing to stand up to power and evil, I no longer felt isolated in my struggle, I was standing in solidarity amongst brothers and sisters.

At University, things have been obviously less violent, but no less radical and inspiring. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, in a post-covid world, I’ve seen so many take time out of their busy days to stand up for the rights of others. When Queen’s think they can increase rent and tuition without consulting students, I have seen people make sure that it isn’t going to be easy for them. By standing together and making our voices heard, we can make sure that our struggle isn’t just a recollection of all the ways we are hurt, but all the ways we fought back.

Power only listens to power. We hold all the cards, don’t be tricked into folding. Struggle.

To see all the candidates running, visit the Queen’s SU website

SU23 - Saj Khan for Equality & Diversity officer