Meet Our Team!
Amber Culley
I’m Amber and I recently started working as the Team and Operations Co-Ordinator at The Circle. I’ve had the pleasure of working in a variety of areas in the non-profit sector from small arts organisations to regional equalities charities. I’ve also enjoyed being a part of local feminist activism and have recently finished an MRes in Sexuality and Gender Studies at the University of Birmingham. So, being involved in a global feminist organisation like The Circle is fantastic.
What brought you to The Circle?
The Circle supports some amazing grassroots organisations around the world and that was a key reason I wanted to get involved. Supporting grassroots means supporting people to have the autonomy and power to bring beneficial change to their own communities, and it’s the kind of global solidarity I love to see. The Circle connects so many talented, passionate people to bring together a community that can make a difference.
How do you unwind and rest?
I spend a lot of time reading – I especially love reading speculative fiction from marginalised authors. I also crochet, which is my go-to when I want to give my brain a break but still want to do something that feels worthwhile. When I’m not in the house you can often find me out and about in Birmingham going to art exhibits, markets, and independent businesses.
What does being a Global Feminist mean to you?
Bell Hooks talks about Global Feminism in ‘Feminism is for Everybody’. She discusses how international feminism is rooted within western culture, and how decolonising feminism is essential in making sure liberation isn’t actually imperialism. She says, “global feminism is to reach out and join global struggles to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” and to me, that’s what being a Global Feminist is. It’s a commitment to joining with women around the world to create change within our own communities, not speaking for each other, but instead standing in solidarity and action.
Who is your favourite fictional female protagonist?
This is a hard question, but I’m going to choose Essun from N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth trilogy. There historically hasn’t been a lot of space for a 42-year-old mother to be a protagonist in an adult fantasy. Yet, N.K. Jemisin won the Hugo Awards three years in a row for this series. Essun is incredibly complex, she’s not an easy character to love, yet she remains sympathetic. I love seeing women characters who are allowed to be imperfect human beings, and so I love her.