Rowan here. You may know me as the Student section editor, but I'm coming to you today from Radical HQ as the newly-appointed Norwich Radical Co-Editor. As of this message, I'm shifting roles to join Alex in co-ordinating the work of the publication.

Working with the Radical has been one of the most fulfilling, rewarding and educational parts of my experience as an activist. The publication was founded in 2014 by two people who I had recently met, and who would go on to become major role models of mine. Even then I was impressed by the scope and ambition of the project, and the principles of justice, sustainability and artistry its team wore proudly on their sleeves.

Since I joined the team as Student editor shortly after graduating in 2016, I've worked with loads of excellent and inspiring writers. In our little section of this publication, we've explored the past, present and future of student life and politics, showcased some of the most exciting student artistic and activist projects of recent years, and provided a platform for a broad range of progressive student perspectives.

When I entered higher education, the pervading message was that student activism had died off, and all students in post-fee hike Britain were just selfish consumers. Looking back on the decade since that momentous ConDem betrayal, that message now seems almost ludicrous. Students of all kinds have played an extremely significant role in the movements to overthrow austerity, challenge Brexit, highlight climate injustice, end structural racism and celebrate diverse forms of gender expression that have shaken the world since 2010. It's a source of great pride to me that we've been able to document and promote some of this work, and to inspire newer students to get involved in Norwich and elsewhere. My deepest thanks to everyone who wrote for the section during my editorship - it's been an inspiration and a pleasure to work with you all.

I will still be overseeing the Student section as I work through this transition into my new role. It is a touch bittersweet to leave the section behind, but these days I'm an alumnus who still calls himself a 'graduate' even though it's been four years, and occasionally catch myself muttering phrases like 'in my day' under my breath while shelving on my shifts in the UEA library. So, I expect there are folks out there much closer to the current goings-on in student movements who would be able to do greater things with the section than I, and I intend to find one of them to succeed me in the near future! (If you think you might be that person, keep an eye on our social media feeds.) 

Coming into the Co-Editor role, my first priority is to finalise at long last our transformation into a registered co-op. We have developed detailed plans for a membership system which we hope will increase our accountability and the potential for writers and readers to shape the publication, and I have sworn to myself these will be put into action this year, or I'll eat my Radical t-shirt.

Beyond that, the work we must do as radicals is clear, even in these strange times. We must continue to reiterate that Black Lives Matter, and give our full support to those working to end racist violence by every means necessary. We must continue to stand alongside our queer and trans siblings as they carve out safe and powerful spaces for themselves in a world that remains hostile to them. We must act as observers and whistleblowers as the myriad injustices of the pandemic continue to emerge, and our governments' failures once again fall heaviest on the most vulnerable. And we must continue to build on the momentum that the climate movement has generated, helping to direct that momentum into campaigns that are fully inclusive and conscious of the colonialism inherent in both climate change itself and in many proposed solutions.

---

Howard Green is soon to be studying International Relations BA at the University of Essex. He offers a perspective into the strange world of rural Norfolk but is mostly concerned by much larger international issues.


Sean Meleady is a political activist and adult education lecturer based in Norfolk. He has experience teaching in the UK, Russia, Italy and Brazil. After studying journalism at News Associates in London, he has written for a number of publications, such as The New European and The South West Londoner, local newspaper the Eastern Daily Press, and more.