I first learned about the concept of space, especially creating and taking up space, when I joined student government at Vic in my first year. The idea was revolutionary to me at first, but I’ve watched incredible student leaders throughout the years work through the delicate relationships between power, institutions, and politics to create space for students who are not traditionally represented at the table.
I asked some student leaders across campus: What does space mean to you in your capacity as a student leader? How does your identity inform your perception of creating and taking up space?
This is what they said:
Ikran Jama, Arts and Science Students’ Union (ASSU) President
Space is about belonging. Physically, space takes its form through welcoming places on our campus, granting students the ability to have their voices heard. As President of the Arts & Science Students’ Union, I am fortunate to have found my sense of belonging in Sid Smith 1068, and I am perhaps even more fortunate to have been granted the capacity to foster a similar sense of belonging for others. Undoubtedly, space also goes beyond the physical, and often reflects measures of self-worth and capability. Through my experiences as a member of underrepresented communities, I find that spaces may sometimes turn into places of judgement, where I must fight for people to hear the value in what I have to say. Spaces should intentionally be created to emit feelings of empowerment and confidence, one where individuals are able to feel included. That’s why space is all about belonging.
Josh Bowman, University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) President
Space means creating an environment where folks can share their lived experiences, organize and connect with one another, while also recognizing that identities such as mine are afforded privileges and advantages systemically; understanding that taking up space means I am impeding others from being comfortable sharing their lived experiences. The UTSU needs to create space for folks to motivate on behalf of their communities—we can’t dissuade ourselves from solutions like these by believing that we know best, always. We don’t. I think that the UTSU has always struggled to find its place without taking up space; when I was elected as President, I wanted to talk to communities instead of trusting in my own ability to work on behalf of them. Their experiences are the ones that need to be spotlighted; their initiatives are the ones that need to be supported; and their priorities should be given to those members of the University administration with the institutional power to make that change. I would always prefer to create rather than take up space.
It’s important to first acknowledge what my identity is: I am a straight, cis-gendered white settler. I acknowledge that, as a straight white man, I do take up space. Places which are inherently representative like the UTSU, should represent the diversity of lived experiences in its membership. As a straight white man, I am not this person and cannot be this person. I can always do better, and I will try my best to be receptive to those who can help me along the way. As a student leader, the most important thing I can do is listen.
Lucinda Qu, Community Organizer
Two things: there are spaces you make and spaces you take.
There are physical and relational elements of spaces that people can (un)intentionally co-create together—which are more often replicative of what already exists elsewhere, but sometimes can also be unique and liberatory [sic] for people who are excluded elsewise.
Then there are spaces you take up, knowingly or not. And there are ways of taking/giving up literal, as well as intangible, space which makes it such that there is more or less for other people to want to take up, too. Especially when you’re a “leader”, you can centre and decentralize other people when you decide how much you talk, how you talk, and what you talk about, for example. One can position one’s self such that they are authoritative and no one else or everyone else can be.
Identities and the experiences that extend out from them that happen when you’re in a space where everyone there shares formative lived experiences, as well as when you’re the only person who looks or sounds like you in a room have been fundamental in shaping these ideas.
Lina Maragha, University College Director, UTSU
My understanding of space in my capacity as a student leader is a seat at the table. I believe when spaces are created, they are opportunities to share individual thoughts, vocalize opinions, and participate in decision making processes which may impact our colleagues. My identity as a straight, able-bodied woman present me with a unique set of privileges which have facilitated my journey and lent me to where I am today. In my role as a director, I try to proactively remain cognizant of these privileges when I participate in group conversations, being mindful of who is not at the table but should be. Ultimately, space is granted to individuals in different ways as a result of our varied lived experiences.
Cheryl Quan, LGBTOUT Executive Director
As an LGBTQ activist, space, to me, is the capacity to be visible. It means making my identity known in places where I probably would not have been able to many years ago. It means being loud, so that people can no longer ignore my community, even if it means making some uncomfortable.
My identity as a racialized, queer, and nonbinary person means that space is not something I was ever taught to take up. Having grown up as a minority in most spaces, I have had to learn how to find and create my own. It is through that marginalization that I have learned that it is my right to create my own.
These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.
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