A Jo Cox ethos: “We are only as strong as we are united"

Before Thursday, I had never heard of Jo Cox. I was unaware of her footprint as an MP, or her presence in an array of campaigns. But I feel like it's important to acknowledge her work, and ensure that the impact of her death is truly felt, because having done a bit of research into her life and work, I honestly believe there is no better example to follow. I feel like there's a lot of pressure on this blog post. I don't want to fall into damaging political rhetoric, debating right-wing radicalisation of the murderer or exploiting Jo's death to persuade people to remain in the EU. Yes it's difficult to disentangle this event from the UK's current political landscape, with the country sitting on a political precipice, but I believe it is more important to - as MP Rachel Reeves put it - continue to fight for the causes Jo Cox so passionately believed in.

Jo Cox was one of 191 female MPs in the UK, compared to 458 male MPs. The average age of MPs in Britain is 50 years old. Jo was 41 years old, a mother of 2. As if these statistics didn't already make her a fairly unique MP, she represented a constituency which she grew up in: Batley and Spen in Yorkshire. She had grown up there, experienced its benefits, bore witness to its problems, and felt compelled to become part of the change by becoming involved in politics. It was doing this very thing - holding a constituency surgery in which people could come and talk to her about their local issues - that she was brutally murdered.

Before being elected as MP in 2015, Jo had worked for Oxfam in a variety of roles: head of policy, head of humanitarian campaigning, and head of the European office in Brussels. After working with Sarah Brown on campaigns to bring about international action to stop mums and babies dying needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth, and acting as national chair of the Labour Women's Network and a senior adviser to the Freedom Fund, an anti-slavery charity, Jo got elected as MP. In her time as a member of parliament, she relentlessly represented her constituency in parliament, and worked tirelessly on campaigns against the Syrian conflict and the troubles in Israel and Palestine.

As a young woman with many of the same passions and dreams, I cannot express how much I admire Jo Cox and her work. She seemed to marry together the political role of MP with her heart for social justice and hope for a better world, void of hatred and inequality. She was a beacon of tolerance, inclusivity and unity in an ever divided and polarised society. Her unshaken faith that "we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us" is a poignant and refreshing ethos in a society which is increasingly turning its back on co-operation, togetherness and partnership. In the words of Jk Rowling, “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”.

It is the biggest injustice that it is only in the wake of her death that the spotlight is being shone on just what an incredible woman Jo was. But I hope that other more well-known politicians take several leaves out of her book; how to hold on to your integrity and humanity, how to unite people despite their differences, and how to passionately fight for what you believe in - unchanged by political scheming and petty quarrels.

I hate that politics has been tainted by broken promises, ulterior motives, and all too often the babbling bull**** of privileged white middle class men. But Jo Cox has given me hope. For me, she demonstrated that you can aspire to facilitate change by being part of the system, without being poisoned by it. As Jo's sister, Kim Leadbeater so succinctly put it, "she will live on through good people in the world".