Here’s Why You Need To Read Ore Ogunbiyi & Chelsea Kwayke’s ‘Taking Up Space’

Last year, Stormzy launched his own imprint, #Merky Books. After debuting with his memoir, Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far, the imprint has now released its second book: Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto For Change, written by Ore Ogunbiyi and Chelsea Kwakye. 

Approached by #Merky Books while they were still in school, Ore and Chelsea, from Nigeria and Ghana respectively, are two resilient black women whose negative experiences at a predominantly white space (Cambridge University) fuelled them to strive for change. 

During their time at Cambridge, they exacted change through a successful Benin Bronze repatriation movement and the #BlackMenofCambridge viral campaign. Now, as recent graduates, they’re making a difference with this book that chronicles the experiences of black women in higher education. 

As mentors to many (of the few) black students in Cambridge, Chelsea and Ore found themselves constantly discussing the topic of race, feelings of inadequacy and isolation many, many times, between themselves and also with others. 

Noting that their experiences alone do not speak for black women as a whole, the duo invited 14 other contributors to share their experiences — a move that makes Taking Up Space a more representative account of the realities minority students face.

In the book, Chelsea and Ore comb through a broad range of relevant issues, from getting into the university, to being forced into activism. On the latter, Chelsea explains in a very candid interview with i-D:

“If you are the only one noticing this issue, you do feel this burdening responsibility to speak about it.”

All within the context of what life is like for black women, Taking Up Space is lined with chapters that discuss access to and within institutions such as Cambridge, racism within academia, mental health, activism and even seemingly trivial topics, such as relationships.

While the book might be most relatable to black women, Ore and Chelsea’s target is everyone. Rather than focusing on the negatives, the book portrays their good and bad days, and, most importantly, gives solutions on how things can improve — motivating every reader to change. 

Speaking with i-D on why Taking Up Space is an important read for all demographics, Ore Ogunbiyi says: 

“We want people to read this book to become aware of how can everyone else do black girls better”

On air with BBC‘s Nadia Jae, the pair get more specific about who they would love to see reading their pages. For Chelsea, it’s the people who would normally disengage from discussions surrounding race that she would recommend this read to. 

Ore, on the other hand, would like teachers to pick up the book, as black students often feel most let down by their teachers, who didn’t believe in them or have failed to be inclusive with regards to what they teach.

Taking Up Space is a friendly and conversational read that imparts wisdom without being preachy. Having hit #1 best seller in Amazon’s ‘Biographies about Essays, Journals and Letters’ category, we are pretty sure you’ll want to get your hands on this read!

You can order the book on Amazon, or follow Ore to find out when it will be available in Nigeria.