In this my first “Podcast Sound Off” post, I’d like to talk about a podcast called Consensus – find more about it here
Like surfing the internet, perusing through Twitter, depending on how far the rabbit-hole you venture, could be an either potentially beneficial or rewardlessly time-consuming activity. Either way, it’s something I’d still recommend that you allow yourself to do, when you have free time of course, because you never know what you might find.
For me, last week it was a political podcast hosted by seven women of Afro-Caribbean and Mixed race heritage, called Consensus. The brilliant hosts are all in politics in some way shape or form. What makes them unique is that each of these young women represent or support a different strand of U.K. politics, they are women working in the Westminster bubble, oh and they’re Black.
Given that the number of ethnic minority MP’s is just 4.2% of the total, it is incredibly important that voices of people from underrepresented backgrounds are projected and heard.
I came across this podcast by just being on my Twitter timeline. A tweet, which I can only describe as a call to action, was reposted onto my timeline – the tweet said:
I really need black journalists to come to Parliament and write about some of the debates/ issues happening here.” – @JennaNDavis_
Brilliant, right? So direct and to the point. Loved it because this was a call to action for more Black journalists and more Black voices to be in Westminster and in Parliament, listening to what’s going on, listening to the debates, listening to the bills being discussed, being present, being observant of what’s going on, being an avenue of information by commenting on those things and keeping the discussion in the public fora. But most importantly, in the consciousness of anyone of African and Caribbean heritage.
I jumped at the opportunity to find out more, so I hurriedly fired back a tweet asking whether bloggers could do the same. I’m not a journalist, I don’t currently write for any publications but I thought, ‘could I in some way do something?’ I’ve got a blog now and I really do feel like I have a voice and more importantly, I’m confident about the voice I have. I never used to be. I used to think, “oh I’m just a small girl from The Cally, of Ghanaian descent and that’s about it, you know, like, who is going to listen to me really?!” But I’m a mum now, I’ve being a working contributing member of society for the better part of a decade since I finished school and graduated, I pay my taxes I know that that figure deducted from my pay comes from my hard work which goes back into the system to make a difference.
So for me, it’s very important that my voice is heard and if I have concerns about the society I contribute to, I must raise them. We all should. I’m no different to the MPs in Parliament, none of us are; those MPs we see gallivanting around were at one point dreaming and hoping to have their voices heard and now they do.
As someone who has created a blog to comment on social structures, changes and current affairs, I can use this platform to get involved. So with that curiosity in mind, I got in touch via direct message (DM) with Jenna Davis, who is one seventh of The Consensus podcast. She quite generously gave me loads of info about attending parliamentary debates and joining all-party parliamentary groups.
Funny, informative, thought-provoking, and a great concise way to learn about the political landscape, the Consensus podcast has been a great reminder for me that so many more voices need to be heard, and that representation matters.
To get more involved:
– Attend debates at Westminster Hall
– Get in touch with your local MP about attending debates
– Keep up to date with All-Party Parliamentary groups (APPGs) of interest to you
Jacqueline Courtenay 