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My two little girls are one and four years old. If you want to get me babbling happily about a subject, ask me about them!
My family and I live in a wonderful but odd house. It looks a bit like a gothic church, which makes it a great destination for kids on Halloween. We moved here seven years ago and fell in love with the amazing Victorian architecture, and we have been trying to do it up room by room over the years.
Exercise keeps me sane. Running and yoga are my favourites. I love that you can be out in deep countryside 15mins from Croydon town centre.
My political activism started in school. I was lucky to grow up with students and teachers in our comprehensive who were curious and liked to challenge things. I remember walking out of school in protest at the Iraq war with my colleagues, and helping lead a strike against our gross school canteen, run by Serco.
My proudest and happiest memories as a teacher often came out of the classroom. I regularly took my Year 7s to meet Windrush migrants at a local community centre.
The children made books about their lives, painted their portraits as front covers, and went to present them back to the residents. That’s how education should work.
Want to know more?
Here are ten facts about Rowenna.
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Sharing food with friends is one of my favourite things to do. Luckily, my husband is an amazing cook and can be seen most nights out in the garden grilling something. I love that Croydon has so many diverse places to eat - oxtail, rice and peas at Brixton on London Road is one of my favourites, ordered every night there was a parents’ evening at my old school opposite!
I have one younger brother who is like me, but generally cooler and funnier. Our parents divorced when we were little and that made us very close.
My first job was a journalist. I used to write social investigations for The Guardian, The New Statesman, the Independent and others. Going to live with asylum seekers in Bolton, visiting prisons and schools and cinema workers fighting for the living wage taught me a lot, and made me want to shift into politics to act. I didn’t just want to write about injustice; I wanted to join the fight against it.
If I could afford to go anywhere in the world on holiday tomorrow, it would probably be… Japan. I’ve never been, and I love the idea of the culture, food and big nature.
My favourite thing about Croydon is the people. Everyone seems out to help each other. In the pandemic, I noticed it was often the poorest people who gave the most.
About
Rowenna
"I’m a mum raising my kids in Croydon and a former teacher who used to teach on London Road. I helped lead the mutual aid movement during the pandemic and serve the people of Waddon as their councillor, helping with everything from fighting against damp and mould for tenants to reopening Wandle Park cafe.
I’m running for Mayor because, unlike the current guy, I truly believe in Croydon and its people."
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