Following from the recent events in the US where we witnessed the murder of George Floyd, and the subsequent demonstrations worldwide in support of anti-racist movements, the Department of Education reaffirms its commitment to opposing racism.
Education is key in combatting racism and the Department wants to educate itself and others in respect of eradicating racism wherever it may be found. Our recent Athena SWAN Bronze award will be an important catalyst to this work where many of our proposed actions will be instrumental in ensuring we identify and eliminate any systemic racial bias in our procedures, which includes a detailed review of our curricula to ensure diverse and equitable representation. We are an academic community that embraces and values people from all backgrounds and we do not tolerate racism in any form. We also unequivocally support the statement made by our University Advocate for Equality and Diversity and Pro VC, Dr. Rebecca Surender when she said: ‘The University reaffirms its unequivocal abhorrence of and opposition to racism against Black and Minority ethnic people and discrimination in all its forms. At the same time, we acknowledge that the University itself is imperfect in the way it addresses these issues. We still have work to do in creating a truly diverse and inclusive community where everyone feels respected and secure, but we are determined in our efforts to achieve this.’
Further information about how the University is addressing racism and championing equality through its Race Equality Action Plan can be found on the Equality and Diversity Unit website and University Anti-racism resources can be found here.
Read more about our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Belonging.
