My name is Edward Ademolu and I’m a Dr. of International Development and current postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Methodology, teaching qualitative research methodology.
Historically, academic institutions have determined the space within which Black communities are defined and knowable (in learning curricula, knowledge production, departmental diversity, taught student profiles, etc.). It is also within this space that the complexities and pluralities of BME representation have been lost in its simplification, concealment and seemingly normative assumptions. As such, to be included in this showcase—a visual repository of some sort—where Black and Brown faces and their accompanying narratives are unapologetically foregrounded, in some small way, ‘speaks back’ to these imposed limitations by readjusting the public barometer of BME visibility. While also highlighting different iterations of brilliance which I’ve always known. To be Young, Gifted and Black is neither foreign nor spectacular but rather unremarkable and ordinary. An ‘ordinariness’ that defies celebration within a singular Black History Month, but one nonetheless worthy of it.
Thank you, Esther Heyhoe (administrator in the department of methodology and all-round creative) for this nomination, whose ‘behind-the-scenes’ work is equally deserving of recognition. I have thoroughly enjoyed working in such a welcoming and supportive department over the past year, and I’m humbled by your kind words. I’m incredibly proud to contribute to an environment that has a strong commitment to inclusivity, knowledge exchange, and the sharing of new, alternative perspectives. It’s a pleasure to work at LSE.