the world, different political backgrounds, different interests, but definitely a place that stands for mutual aid, cooperation, solidarity is a place that most Peace Study students will be interested in. Carl White Because Bradford is a special place of radical thought, of political activism … and we’re really proud of that history, and also that idea of sanctuary, of being a place that, you know, different waves of immigrants and migrants and refugees have come and settled. And so it is a special place, and for me … I hadn’t been to the 1 in 12, but it was part of all of this exciting stuff that I want to be part of and so that’s why I moved. Anika Easy Its values of mutual aid and solidarity, those things very much go hand in hand with Bradford. I think as a whole, I’ve never really lived or been part of a city quite like it. You know, I think it’s very much a place where if someone’s having a bad time, and you’re a random person on the street. I feel like the majority of people in Bradford always like check in, and I feel like there’s just a sense of community in Bradford that you don’t get elsewhere. Erik Rattus Bradford, in my experience, has always been a place where different musical groups and subcultural groups rub along together a lot better than in other places, and there’s been a lot more emphasis on fun. Community, yeah, rather than, like, a big cool competition, which some of the places can be like that, not mentioning any names, but other cities and towns can be more like that. Bradford never was. It was always very unpretentious here. Sam Barrett But I think it’s, I don’t know, it’s in like the DNA of Bradford, I think of somewhere really independent. Really unpretentious. It just kind of, you know, keeps on doing the DIY thing. And I think, yeah, if Bradford were to lose it, it’d be so much poorer. Beth Atack So, yeah, I think that there’s often this idea that Bradford is almost like a person. It’s this entity, and it’s different from other places. And, of course, Bradford is different from other places. But what I think sets it apart is that no one’s going to come rescue Bradford ... so people in Bradford do it for themselves. And I suppose that’s what I like about the
1 in 12 and why I’ve stuck around in Bradford because I like that DIY kind of foundation … and it’s places like Bradford where you’ll find like really long-running volunteer organisations, like Bradford Rape Crisis has been around for decades. That’s such a Bradford thing. Bradford has got room to have a good look at itself. And maybe that’s why Bradford’s the place for the 1 in 12. Fanny Accordian Bradford has always been a quite a DIY and different and relatively radical city. I mean, I suppose, if you think about it, the whole of Bradford was built on migration, and so people have always been coming into Bradford, new people, waves and waves of people coming into Bradford and bringing new ideas. So I think we are a really friendly city, actually, and a very welcoming city, but we’re also a city of ideas. Jenny Harris There is something about Bradford that is very linked to 1 in 12 … There is something there about making things happen often with quite little resources in a way that brings as many people in as possible, and making it engaging and fun ... There’s a lot of anarchists in Bradford, aren’t there? Because it’s the politics that appeals to a lot of people who’ve just been fucking shafted and let down by a system that ultimately, wants them dead or like doesn’t care if they’re alive, and that is, that’s the brutal reality of it. And like, Yeah, I think in that sense, the 1 in 12 and Bradford, are a bit of a like fuck you to that system on some level. And you know, there’re contradictions and problems too, but like, that’s pretty cool innit? Joel White It’s a place where, like, as I said earlier, mental health problems formed, but it’s also a place most of my friendships formed … we can slag it off, but if you’re not from Bradford, you can’t say anything. And that’s kind of how it works … growing up, I’d hear so much bad things about Bradford. And, you know, around Bradford for a certain period, you hear bad things about the 1 in 12. And I was like, well, that’s not true. Sean Barrett I always assumed that everywhere had somewhere, like the club, but they really don’t. And it makes the 1 in 12, like, ever so more special, because it is unique to Bradford. It’s one of the things that’s really made me proud to live in Bradford and be from Bradford as well. Kaya Cullerton
PART TWO: A PLACE OF COMMUNITY
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