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Students and staff from across ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº were welcomed on 21 October to discuss ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s progress on Race Equality at Is Race Equality Real at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº?, an interactive event chaired by Ms Sandy Ogundele, Students' Union ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº BME Student's Officer, and co-organised by ¹û¶³Ó°Ôºâ€™s Race Equality Steering Group and Students’ Union ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. The event, which marks Black History Month 2019, aimed to take a look back over the last five years of institutional work on race equality at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, and invite discussion on the extent of progress made.

Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu (Professor of Pharmacy and the Provost’s Envoy for Race Equality) led the opening remarks, followed by speeches from panel members, who included Dr Mike Sulu, Co-Chair of the Race Equality Steering Group, Dr Kamna Patel, Vice Dean (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) at The Bartlett, Ms Paulette Williams, Head of Student Success Projects, Ms Nilisha Vashist, ¹û¶³Ó°ÔºU Women's Officer and Professor Michael Arthur, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President & Provost. Following the panel speeches, the audience – consisting of members of the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº community – were invited to share experiences and views, and the diverse mix of staff and students ensured conversations about race between both were incorporated in the discussions.

Results from the panel discussion and audience poll showed that the majority of those in attendance believe that there is work to be done on race equality at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº, but recognise also the positive achievements that have been made. In addition, while there was no consensus on prioritising any particular element of equality, staff and students agreed on the necessity of educating others about the lived experience of people of colour, as well as empowering others to feel comfortable to have discussions that involve race.

The future of race equality at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº is certainly promising, with the institution recently celebrating the opening of the new Centre for the Study of Race and Racism, of which Professor Paul Gilroy is founding Director, and launching key initiatives to support staff and students, including the BAME Awarding Gap, Inclusive Advocacy and Stellar HE. ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's move East and subsequent increase in the size of both students and staff will enable further diversity and the emergence of new role models in key positions, as well as the greater inclusion of the student voice. It was agreed by both Professor Uchegbu and the Provost that ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº – like all other institutions – is institutionally racist, but by acknowledging this and working together to remove inequality, we can improve the institution for everyone.

ByÌýDr MichaelÌýSulu, Race Equality Steering GroupÌýCo-Chair andÌýSandy Ogundele, Students' Union ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº BME Student's Officer.

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