Our commitment to anti-racism and culture change
Published: 16 August 2022
14 August will be the second anniversary of the Declaration Against Racism by Scotland’s universities and colleges
Dear Colleagues,
The 14th of August will be the second anniversary of the Declaration Against Racism by Scotland’s universities and colleges, following the publication of the EHRC report, the death of George Floyd, and commitment to #BlackLivesMatter to move from performative statements to action focused solutions to ‘unite against racism’.
Racism exists on our campuses and in our society. Call it what it is and reject it in all its forms. We stand united against racism.
The statement above was a landmark moment in Scottish tertiary education, endorsed by the Scottish Funding Council, and the Scottish Government Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science.
Here at the University of Glasgow, following the publication of the EHRC report, our public statement on the brutal killing of George Floyd and signing the declaration, we commissioned an internal report ‘Understanding Racism and Transforming University Cultures’.
The findings aligned with the wider findings across the Higher Education sector in the UK, and the recommendations were further developed to create an action plan, with a timeframe and senior management responsibility and accountability.
We are at the start of our journey, and at the 18 month mark since the publication of our report, we are pleased to share some of the work which is underway and can be found here University of Glasgow - MyGlasgow - Human Resources - Equality & Diversity - Understanding Racism, Transforming University Cultures.
We have commissioned the Institute for Educational and Social Equity (IESE) to deliver anti-racist training to over 1,000 colleagues. This is part of an ongoing strategy to deliver antiracism training across the whole University community.
The Director of IESE Professor Paul Miller stated that “no other organisation has commissioned training for 1,000 of its staff”, which shows the commitment the University has invested in raising awareness of racism, along with the values of respect and dignity.
Professor Miller and his team Dr Kenisha Linton, Dr Christine Callender and Dr LeRoi Henry have supported the delivery across the University. Having delivered 22 sessions, the feedback has been very positive, with colleagues sharing how the sessions helping them to identify what racism can look and sound like, and where the sessions were described as “brilliant and much needed”.
As the University’s Race Equality Champion, I would like to thank all the colleagues who continue to be involved in delivering on our commitment to anti-racism and culture change.
With best wishes,
Uzma Khan
Race Equality Champion
First published: 16 August 2022