Alumni Q&A with Richard Sides

1. When did you volunteer with Jacari?

I was Oriel's representative to Jacari in 1957-58.

2. What activities were you involved in as a member of Jacari?

We distributed little yellow leaflets with a bar or two of music printed on them: supposedly to play that tune you needed both black and white keys on the piano and this was our message.

3. Can you tell us the most vivid memory of your time as a Jacari volunteer?

What I recall was our efforts to protest Apartheid in South Africa and to have fellow students do the same - the sentiment was pretty unanimous that South Africa, all its products, had to be boycotted. Our biggest event, it was a great success with a packed attendance, was getting Bishop Trevor Huddleston to speak on campus against White Supremacy.

4. What are you doing now?

I now live in Marblehead Massachusetts, USA. I have reached the age of 85 (which as a student was way beyond my expectations) and I now serve on the "Marblehead Racial Justice team" that meets monthly to urge our fellow citizens and local government to treat BIPOC fairly or even better than that (BIPOC is "Blacks, Indigenous, People Of Colour").

5. How did being a member of Jacari influence you later in life?

My first job after going down was in Kenya where I worked five years as District Officer for the British Colonial office. After Independence I drove my Landrover home to London: via Sudan, Egypt, Syria and Turkey.