Amika George : When a 21 year old Indian British student became an MBE
A few years ago, while in school, Amika heard the horrible news on TV - that there were girl students in England who could not afford to buy sanitary napkins and consequently had to miss school. This inequality in a developed nation like the UK, moved her to raise awareness on what she termed 'period poverty’. When she put out a post to organise a organise a campaign for this cause in the heart of London, 2000 people turned up on a cold day. The movement began to flourish and the petition garnered over 200,000 signatories. Amika, now 21, has been at the helm of 'Free Periods’, campaigning for removing what was dubbed the 'tampon tax' on sanitary products. The campaign sought to pressure the British government to make sanitary napkins available for students who were also receiving free meals at school.
Success came in 2019 when the UK government announced funding to provide sanitary products free-of-charge in schools. In the meanwhile, she was awarded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Goalkeeper award in 2018 recognising her efforts towards achieving sustainable development goals (India's PM Narendra Modi won this award the next year!).
In 2021, her book, ‘Make It Happen : How to be an Activist' was released, published by Harper Collins. Guess whose endorsement can be found on its front cover? None other than Nobel Prize recipient and activist, Malala Yousufzai’s. In 2018 she figured in the Time Most Influential Teens list. She has written for The Guardian, Vogue and The Telegraph. Emma Watson nominated her name for the Teen Vogue 21 under 21 list.
And the other day, as part of the Queen of England's birthday honours, Amika George was awarded the MBE - 'Most Excellent Order of the British Empire', the third highest honour in the United Kingdom (fellow MBE's also include singers Adele, Ed Sheeran, footballers Steven Gerrard, Harry Kane, etc.). The tinge of irony in being awarded the MBE was not lost on Amika, who is a student of Indian colonial history and Britain's ties to the slave trade, at Cambridge University. However, after much thought and deliberation, she decided to accept the honour. BBC reports her statement as to why she plans to go ahead and accept it:
"I have a huge opportunity in accepting the award to draw attention to our lack of education around empire and Britain's history, but also to show other young people, particularly from the Asian community, who maybe don't feel very empowered politically, or don't feel seen.
"I want to show them that your opinions and political actions are just as valid and needed as an older white man who seems to be in Parliament and seems to have a lot more power than you do."
This is a proud moment for all youth, for all young activists. It is a proud moment for Indians. And indeed a proud moment for the Mar Thoma Syrian church that one of her children chose to express her faith through her activism for a just cause, as she wrote in her Ripples article. Last year she had written for the Yuvajana Sakhyam's Ripples Magazine and contributed a write up for the Suvisesha Sevika Sanghom magazine, Vanitha Bodhini.
Best wishes to Amika and her future efforts. Her parents, Kochumon chachen and Nisha chechi, as well as her grandmother Achamma Aunty (whom she mentions in her book), must be beaming with pride along with Shaminimama, and Sureshchachen and their families. TC George Uncle must be smiling from heaven.
Picture Credits : Vogue, BBC
