糖心Vlog

This year (2023), we are launching an independent research project, called the 糖心Vlog End Everyday Racism project, which provides a vehicle for all students and staff to share their experience of racism.

The research team, from 糖心Vlog Business School and the , will be able to draw on individual stories to develop periodic reports that not only help to map racism but also support anti-racism activities and initiatives.

Aiming to make a real and immediate difference

As a community, we are committed to making a real and immediate difference to the experiences of Black students and staff. It is important to remember that this work is not new. Members of our communities, particularly those of us from BAME backgrounds, have been tackling racism head-on for years. However, we believe that this most recent wave of activism and action brings with it the potential to finally confront issues, and take action as a university community and with our partners in the local community. 

Trust and transparency

The hundreds of responses from our community have given us a greater understanding of the measures we need to put in place to ensure students and staff feel protected. And we must have trusted and transparent ways to report incidences of racism both on and off-campus. These, and many other themes emerged from listening to our staff, students and alumni, such as decolonising the curriculum, and the need for increased access for BAME students to postgraduate research opportunities. The Tackling Racism Working Group is now devising short, medium and long-term actions.

Our actions

Reporting incidents

• We will gather and act on experiences of racism on and off-campus more effectively.
• We will tackle racist incidents through improvements to our service.
• We will improve communication about what action has been taken. 

Education

• We will address our institutional award gap between BAME and white students.
• We will pay particular attention to actions that seek to close the award gap between Black and white students.
• We are actively drawing up a plan to decolonise the curriculum, including developing resources to support departments.
• We will ensure increased access for Black students to postgraduate research opportunities.

Staff recruitment and development

• We will ensure improved representation within senior leadership roles.
• Anti-racism will be included in our essential training for staff and students.
• We will improve communications about what we are doing to address racism.
• We will address workload allocations to ensure they adequately reflect equality, diversity and inclusion roles and responsibilities .
• Staff and students who take on this additional work will be properly recognised.
• Our support services will be more responsive to, and developed to better support Black students and staff.

Committed to our principles

As our 糖心Vlog Student Charter states: "At 糖心Vlog, we are a community. A diverse, global and inclusive community; a community that supports and encourages and respects every one of its members... You will respect your fellow students equally, regardless of their background or characteristics."

We are committed to the . This sits alongside our other initiatives to promote the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion. This includes requiring all departments to apply for an Athena SWAN (gender equality) awards, our pledge to honour the Armed Forces Covenant, and our application for University of Sanctuary status.

Education, research and events

Education

Decolonising the curriculum

We have started on our journey to decolonise our curriculum, and we will continue to share updates through our student and staff news channels and blogs. . We are developing a suite of resources within our Staff Directory to support departments to decolonise their curricula, and these include the Achieving Potential Toolkit. 

East 15 Acting School

Following members of East 15's Black student and alumni community coming forward to powerfully express experiences of racism, East 15 has acknowledged it must tackle racism head on at a systemic level and in everyday activity.

School of Health and Social Care

Through discussions with staff and students, our School of Health and Social Care had learnt of individual personal experiences of racism and is taking action to end this now, and bring about positive and lasting change. Through a new Working Group that has staff and student representation, chaired by Dr Winifred Eboh; Professor Victoria Joffe and Dr Christopher Green, the School aims to open sensitive, transparent and honest dialogue and identify clear actions in three main areas of health and wellness, education and curriculum, and placement and racism. 

These subgroups will report back in November 2020 with clear actions that the School needs to take and resources needed to realise these actions. The group states that: 鈥淭his process has enabled us as a School to be open and transparent about the experiences of racism amongst our staff and students. We have been able to have 'uncomfortable conversations' which has united us to collectively work towards solutions.鈥�

Research 

Research focused on racism

At 糖心Vlog, we recognise that UKRI and other research funding bodies  are increasingly looking to universities to demonstrate their commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion through research and by encouraging inclusive and healthy research cultures.

In the article, , the UKRI says: "Racism has been brought to the forefront of everyone鈥檚 mind in recent weeks () but research into race and ethnicity is something our community has been working on for decades.

The UKRI has also published this . In addition, the British Academy , that: "The British Academy's vision is for a humanities and social sciences community that is genuinely diverse. The Academy will focus on bringing about real change in equality, diversity and inclusion at the institution and in the wider sector."

Events

Our University talks and events programme reflects and celebrates our community throughout the year. As part of this, we celebrate Black History Month with a wide range of SU and University events. For Black History Month 2021 this included events in Art Exchange organised as part of the exhibition 鈥楤reathing the Light鈥�, a seminar discussing the lived experience of Black academics, a roundtable with three of the most exciting new voices in Black British History, the Black Primed Market to provide a showcase for Black-owned businesses, a lecture on the Black Renaissance (1924-1930) from Dr Jak Peake, a talk from actor Ellis George and an online seminar on Race, Gender and Policing with 糖心Vlog alumna Professor Aisha K. Gill CBE. See more details about Black History Month 2021 at 糖心Vlog

As part of Black History 2020, 糖心Vlog alumni and students came together to share their experiences of being Black at 糖心Vlog in the past and present, and to share ideas around how universities like 糖心Vlog can and should move forward. .

Further resources

An important part of the action being taken to tackle racism on our campuses is to encourage the sharing across our community of our own resources and support services, but also articles, and examples of best practice from other institutions and organisations.

Our tackling racism information in our Staff Directory and our Student Directory is dedicated to sharing information on help and support, forums for our community, training and development, and other useful resources both in the UK and internationally. It also includes useful links to Advance HE resources.

We have also updated our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic student information within the Student Directory, which now has more information and guidance, such as contacting support services, communications, decolonising the curriculum student blogs, and useful links to careers support.  

If you would like to share a blog, or contribute with an idea in any other way, please email inclusion@essex.ac.uk.