| College | Initiatives |
| All Souls | Black Academic Futures Scholarship |
| Balliol | In the summer of 2020, our students produced a report which came to our Governing Body, expressing various concerns about racism and discrimination in the College. You can read more about that here https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/news/2020/june/balliol-takes-action-against-racism-and-discrimination-in-college Since then (though of course disrupted by COVID!) we have: Set up a new Equality and Diversity Committee, involving staff and students, which meets once a Term; Established a confidential mailbox for reports on discrimination and other complaints Circulated a simplified “how to” guide on making a complaint Organised facilitated conversations/workshops on anti-racism for BAME students, Freshers and (to be arranged later this Term) for staff, led by one of our alumni who is a specialist in the field. Published our report on Proceeds of Slavery in our Endowment. You can find more about it on our Balliol and Empire Project website here https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/balliol-and-empire-project and here https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/news/2021/september/balliol-and-empire-news We’ve held two seminars, one with our own students and one with students and others interested across the University, to discuss the findings. We are currently holding an exhibition at our archive centre on the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the Age of Revolution, and are supporting a teaching project for UK and US schools based on the contents of the exhibition. This is also covered on the Balliol and Empire website. We are funding one of the Black Academic Futures scholarships for Black British research students. |
| Brasenose | Diversity alumni – advise on race and issues (15 involved Welfare poc Changed over porters to have majority POC porters Involved in the black academic futures programme Multi-faith/multicultural lectures and dinners Try to balance number of fellows from black and BAME backgrounds on governing body Every year -training using examples based on case studies |
| Christ Church | Racism — and any form of discrimination —is not tolerated at Christ Church. We have been addressing the challenge of racism in several ways, led by our Equality & Diversity Committee which was formed initially in 2017 as a working group and now reports formally to Governing Body. The Committee meets termly and its membership is drawn from all constituencies of Christ Church, with academic and non-academic staff and students represented. A review of our harassment policy is currently underway, with direct involvement from our students, which has incorporated suggestions from the Equality & Diversity Committee, and is due to be completed in September 2021. Last summer we commissioned an independent report from Challenge, an Equality and Diversity Consultancy, to help us find new ways to talk about race, to listen and learn, and to identify positive steps we can take to address issues around racial equality, diversity, and inclusion Challenge ran a series of listening events with students last summer and we have since shared their report with the whole institution and implemented a number of their recommendations and suggestions. We are implementing compulsory anti-bias training for all at Christ Church. All Bod cards are checked on entry to Christ Church. During last year’s Black History Month, an art initiative was launched within the JCR to showcase work by prominent Black artists from around the world to begin to diversify the visual environment at Christ Church. We have formed a Working Party to Diversity the Visual Environment. Christ Church is conducting research into Christ Church historical links to colonialism to understand our history better and what we can learn from it. The JCR ran a weekly anti-racism reading group. We are committed to diversifying our student body and staff further, with a number of access initiatives focusing on racial and ethnic diversity. We will appoint a Postdoctoral Access Fellow to support Christ Church’s significant outreach and student support work for Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Groups. Christ Church is also a major financial supporter of Target Oxbridge, which prioritises applications from state school students of Black African and Caribbean heritage. Christ Church sponsors IntoUniversity Oxford South East jointly with the University, which for the past six years has provided support to academic aspiration and achievement amongst disadvantaged children in Blackbird Leys. We understand that there is still more work to be done and continue to welcome engagement and ideas from all our students to ensure that Christ Church is an inclusive, diverse and welcoming community for everyone. |
| Corpus Christi | MCR and college organised speaker series related to BLM Critical Theory reading groups in each of the vacs. alumni mentoring scheme aimed specifically at mentoring BAME students and helping them progress into careers (the idea was that we do a lot of outreach but we need to do more inreach) Working on hiring more Black academics and senior staff, but then the university set up a task force to look at it Worked in close collaboration across all the common rooms to formulate a long-lasting, sincere, and meaningful response to BLM: emphasis has been on listening to individual experience, exercising institutional empathy, and working with our Black and minority ethnic students to encourage and empower. ‘I am a strong believer in active personal and institutional anti-racism but am very aware of the risk that majority White organisations and individuals can, in their enthusiasm to be well-meaning and efficacious, risk speaking over the lived experience of others.’ – Helen Moore, Principal of Corpus Made sure that diversity was a factor in our choice of speakers, web page pictures and news items, and photographs in our college publications – but attempting not to slip into tokenism You might want to look at some of the recent issues of the ‘Sundial’, our newsletter for old members here: https://www.ccc.ox.ac.uk/alumni/pelican-record-and-sundial In the summer of 2020, we agreed and published an anti-racism statement on the website that was the joint work of GB, the MCR and JCR. ( https://www.ccc.ox.ac.uk/about-corpus/whats/news/anti-racism-statement). Held an online ‘Corpus Conversation on Racism’ that was a proactive listening and thinking exercise. It gave particular prominence to our Black members, given the BLM circumstances, but was positively supported by other minority ethnic members of college as well. A report was written, endorsed by GB, and a follow-up meeting was held. A film series was organised by the Dean of Welfare and MCR/JCR members, intersectional reading group to explore how race interacts with class, gender and disability Set up a Black and Minority Ethnic Students Mentorship Scheme – brought together students with old members in 1-1 mentoring relationships in response to the input of our Black and ME students Led to increased visibility of Black and minority ethnic students and old members) and engaging old members, especially from the Black community, in a joint effort to make a practical difference and offer friendship, understanding and support. seminar series to showcase academics of colour to improve representation (in the works) Black Academic Futures Scholarship This is all, of course, an ongoing project. We are proactively including diversity matters at our Equality committee and GB; one example is a very valuable committee discussion of the CRED report from this summer, which was led by Zeinab in her role as MCR Diversity Officer Also aiming to increase black representation at the student, fellow and staff level |
| Exeter | Exeter’s 2019 Strategic Plan includes a clear commitment to attract students, fellows and staff from all backgrounds and to make the College a welcoming and supportive place for all. The College has also explicitly committed itself to counter racism, as emphasised in a statement approved by Exeter’s Governing Body in June 2020. Examples of how the College is achieving these objectives include: Funding Target Oxbridge places, to help Black students and students of mixed race with Black heritage increase their chances of getting into Oxford and Cambridge A bridging programme, Exeter Plus, now in its third year, which aims to attract and support students from groups historically under-represented at Oxford Commitment to a Black Academic Futures Scholarship, financed by Exeter, for Black and Mixed-Black postgraduate students from the UK Considerable research and teaching by Exeter Fellows in areas such as the history of slavery and imperialism, post-colonial literature, and human rights law Compulsory workshops, during both undergraduate and postgraduate freshers’ weeks, designed to educate students on issues affecting Black and other minority ethnic communities An ongoing series of seminars and talks on the theme of racial equality A new racial equality collection of books (which are annually supplemented) in the College Library A College-financed prize scheme encouraging active Exeter participation in the annual Black History Month Working closely with students, fellows and alumni to give people from all groups and backgrounds a voice in College publications (including website and social media) and to reassure prospective students, fellows and staff of all backgrounds that they will be welcome and well supported at Exeter. |
| Harris Manchester | – |
| Hertford | Hertford is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and avoiding discrimination, in line with The Equality Act 2010. . Hertford has a proud history as a pioneer of access and opportunity. We seek diversity not just for reasons of fairness and justice, but because it helps us provide a better learning, teaching and living environment. To encourage greater diversity at Hertford, we will commit as part of the Hertford 2030 strategic review to initiatives to increase diversity of fellows, students, and staff; continue to expand the reach of our admissions work; and continue to ask college employees to submit a voluntary recruitment monitoring form as part of their application for employment, collecting information on gender, disability, age, and race. To support and nurture a more inclusive Hertford, we will ensure robust systems for dealing with harassment and discrimination. Any discriminatory behaviour by any member of Hertford, including harassment or bullying by individuals or groups, could be regarded as grounds for disciplinary action, which may include expulsion or dismissal. Policies relating to staff members are included in the college’s Employee Handbook. Members of the college community who feel that they have been subject to harassment should seek advice from the Harassment Advisor. We will also continue to enhance welfare provision; encourage all tutors to undertake appropriate E and D training; continue to update library acquisitions to reflect issues of equality; invite inspiring and challenging speakers; work closely with MCR and JCR equality representatives; support diversity of fellows competing for APTFs; and ensure catering and accommodation are reflective of a diverse community, including en-suite on religious as well as disability grounds. To encourage a more vocal Hertford, we will contribute to the wider anti-racism effort in Oxford and beyond; work to better understand our past, including through a contribution to the Oxford/colonialism project; establish a cluster of summer research projects to explore Hertford and slavery; engage with key alumni to understand challenges and harvest ideas on E and D; support Black History Month and Equalities Week; take further initiatives to raise the profile of key alumni; establish a BAME Alumni Network (https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/event/equalities-week-bame-network ); and update web and social media content on Hertford/equality. Liberation Collection in the Library – https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/news/liberation-library-collection Unsung heroes of science – highlighting scientists from non-traditional backgrounds, running competitions with schools https://www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/news/celebrating-our-unsung-heroes-of-science Refugees: Hertford students are training refugees in Jordan online (through a partnership with Na’amal). We are working on a refugee exchange programme, through which student volunteers offer in person training. And Hertford is applying to be a college of sanctuary. International Access Scheme in the works |
| Jesus | Equality and Diversity Committee, with student representation, chaired by Professor Patricia Daley, Vice Principal of Jesus College, Equality & Diversity Fellow and Professor of the Human Geography of Africa at the University of Oxford, who was named on the influential Black Power List 2021 Equality and Diversity Events Group – a sub-committee of the above which organises events during the College’s academic year. Student Groups – Both JCR and MCR have equality representatives. Jesus College Equality & Diversity Policy is available on our website here. Equality Action Plan – in Michaelmas Term 2020, the Governing Body approved an Equality Action Plan detailing measures to be implemented over the next three years, which include further increases to student and staff diversity, addressing racial harassment, and developing a more inclusive physical environment. Some examples include: Black History Month – Each October Jesus College hosts a range of events to celebrate Black History Month, including talks by and interviews with alumni and current Fellows who share their University and career experience, and events celebrating our black alumni such as Pixley Ka Isaka Seme (founder of the ANC) and Norman Manley (Prime Minister of Jamaica). We also support University BHM campaigns and local exhibitions. An example of our BHM programme can be found here: https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/black-history-month-2020-watch-again/ What Really Matters – What Really Matters is a Jesus College initiative which aims to engage people in some of society’s most pressing issues through discussions with high-profile speakers in related subjects. As part of the series, and in response to the Black Lives Matter campaign, we held a discussion covered the role of education in bringing about societal change in the UK, anti-racism in the context of white privilege and what needs to happen now to bring about racial equality? The black experience participants gave moving personal testimonies of their journeys and the online audience were able to ask questions. Watch here: Discussion 1 – Forum on Race and Education Anti-racist Reading List & Library Collection – the College has purchased a selection of books on anti-racism from a reading list drawn up by students. Celebrating Difference in the College’s History – as part of the 450th Anniversary celebrations in 2021, the College produced a podcast in which Professor Patricia Daley and Dr Michael Joseph, M G Brock Junior Research Fellow in History at Corpus Christi College, discuss the life of John Christopher Wilberforce Rock (one of the College’s first black students) and his life at Jesus. The 1903 Cricket team photo is the latest treasure in the 12 Objects series: www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/450th-anniversary/12-objects/ and https://youtu.be/dODveqHHlbg Access and Outreach – Masterclass series which invited academically talented Year 8 school students from ethnic minority backgrounds in three south east London schools to participate in a series of masterclasses that aim to equip them with the skills to pursue and succeed in higher education, and to raise their levels of aspiration. https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/new-masterclass-aims-to-widen-participation-to-underrepresented-young-people-in-south-london/ College communications We work hard to demonstrate our commitment to equality and diversity by promoting news and relevant events through our communications platforms; our website, social media channels and YouTube. Examples of recent new stories published to our website include: June 2020 – Jesus College responds to the death of George Floyd and racial intolerance in the following statement, which was published online with social media links: https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/jesus-college-statement-on-racial-intolerance/ October 2020 – Jesus College publishes a preliminary report on its colonial links https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/jesus-college-publishes-preliminary-report-on-colonialism/ February 2021 – Jesus College announced its first bursary specifically for black British students https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/jesus-college-launches-first-bursary-for-black-british-students/ |
| Keble | – |
| Kellogg | Introduced a fellow from the wk kellogg foundation the first time it was a black woman Small acts viewing and q&A with Joy Richardson Welcome weeks developed – involve sessions on anti-racism Talks about the links between the government’s policies making protesting more difficult and how they are increasing structural inequalities BAME fellow |
| Lady Margaret Hall | Race and Equality Working Party. In MT 2020 LMH established a Working Party for Race and Equality whose membership draws from the different academic sectors of the college – SCR, JCR and MCR. The group meets on a regular basis (once or twice a term) in order to review, formulate and direct Race and Equality initiatives and good practice within college. Town Hall MeetingsIn TT 2020 the Working Party launched College Town Hall meetings open to all BAME students. These meetings have been attended by students, senior members of college (Principal, Vice-Principal, Head of Welfare, and recently at the students’ request, a separate GB representative for the Town Halls, Prof. Aziz Aboobaker). Also in attendance is Charmaine McCaulay, a black therapist and facilitator who specializes in supporting and helping BAME students. Charmaine writes a report after each Town Hall preserving the anonymity of students raising concerns in order to obviate any potential imbalance of power between students and senior members. This report is considered by the Working Party. A number of initiatives have emerged from the Town Hall meetings. The lecture series, Black Histories and Futures, encompassing a wide range of distinguished speakers from different fields and disciplines, which have proved popular both with the LMH community and the wider public. The ongoing provision of group support sessions for BAME students offered by Charmaine McCaulay and funded by college. There are currently three sessions per term Equality and Diversity Training. Over the summer of 2021 we have sought to deepen the training about racism and unconscious bias to our students as part of their induction into college. All fresher students, undergrad and graduate are required to attend a mandatory session on Race and Diversity at the start of the academic year led by professional facilitators with student support from our BAME community. A short survey about that initiative is being circulated to enable feedback and reflective improvement of the initiative. The survey results will be discussed within the Working party and at the Hilary Term Town Hall with the college BAME community. Close working relationships and support for our students of colour is important to the College’s commitment to diversity and inclusion In HT 2021 LMH launched two training/information gathering initiatives, designed to shape and promote further initiatives. Governing Body Unconscious Bias training (6/7 April 2021) Survey on Race and Equality for Teaching Staff, MCR and JCR Unconscious Bias training For real change to take place, any programme needs to be academically rigorous and challenging, not just an off-the-peg box-ticking exercise. The Vice-Principal researched five companies, shortlisted three in consultation with Rebecca Surender (Pro-VC Equality and Diversity). GB agreed to use Challenge, a consultancy that specializes in race and equality and which has long experience of working with higher education institutions, the House of Commons, and many other established institutions including arts and mediahttps://www.challcon.com LMH Survey on Race and Equality We asked Challenge to create for us a college survey on Race and Equality issues which we have sent out to all JCR, MCR and teaching staff at LMH. The results were considered by the Working Party on Race and Equality in order to guide further initiatives and action future change. Support staff / HR Programme Staff Survey Support staff completed a separate survey as part of their regular annual staff survey. This survey asks wide-ranging questions about how staff experience working life at LMH and ways it could be improved. We will now incorporate into it diversity monitoring and questions, covering all the protected characteristics contained in the Equality Act. Training All support staff who use a PC will be asked to complete online equality and diversity training including a section on unconscious/ implicit bias. Support staff will receive face-to-face training in groups, when it is safe to do so. Equality information on HR portal We have also encouraged both support staff and academic staff to populate the equality information on the HR portal CINTRA. By holding this information, we can break down the composition of our current staff to find out if and where there could be under-represented staff groups. This information could then form the basis to consider what the barriers maybe for minority staff groups and enable us to consider appropriate action. Recent initiatives (MT 2021) The current Principal Professor Christine Gerrard has worked closely with the JCR and MCR BAME reps to maintain momentum over the academic year 2021-2. We offered LMH SCR membership to the new Head of Student Support and Welfare Services, Rotimi Akinsete, which he has accepted, and has attended college dinners. He is a very experienced BAME psychotherapist and advisor and an excellent source of advice for us. Prof. Gerrard has invited suggestions for BAME speakers at her ‘In Conversation’ series and also for any interested BAME students to interview them on stage. The first of these featured inspirational alumna Jasmine Richards, founder of Storymix, a platform aimed at representation of diversity in children’s literature and two English students. There are more to come next term. These include former LMH outreach officer and head teacher Emmanuel Botwe and hopefully David Lammy. Revision of disciplinary codes and byelaws. LMH is currently revising its non-academic disciplinary byelaws following our experience of incidents of racial and sexual harassment in college last year. We actively seek input from our BAME community. Our Working Party has invited and received nominations for JCR/MCR BAME representatives along with external members, GB members and other MCR/JCR reps. |
| Lincoln | Set up an Anti-Racism Commission Commissioned a report and are waiting to receive it ( https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/policies-and-reports/lincolns-commitment-to-anti-racism) Have appointed a Governing Body Fellow as an Anti-Racism Advocate ( https://lincoln.ox.ac.uk/policies-and-reports/lincolns-commitment-to-anti-racism). |
| Magdalen | Black Academic Futures Scholarship |
| Mansfield | GOVERNANCE AND MEETINGS Equality Committee Supervising and monitoring the taking of practical steps to achieve objectives is undertaken by the Equality Committee, meets termly. The Equality Committee’s Terms of Reference are to review practical steps taken in college to ensure we are working towards these objectives and to report to GB on these. I chair this committee, and all the equality tutors (for race, gender, disability, and LGBTQ+ students) plus the welfare tutor, chaplain, harassment tutor, senior tutor, HR officer, bursar, and student equality reps from JCR and MCR attend). Termly meetings for Amplifying Voices of Students of Colour termly forum for ‘amplifying students of colour’, the agenda for which is led by the JCR ethnic minorities officer and the MCR BAME rep, and report back to them on how their views and recommendations have informed College action. College support for other groups for students of colour. Race Equality Working Group During 2020 a race equality working group consisting of non-academic staff met and made a series of recommendations as to how to promote race equality at work at Mansfield. Promoting racial equality and a more diverse workforce is one of our 5-year strategic equality objectives, and also a key objective for our new Human Resources manager Have taken a number of specific steps (eg wording and advertisements, diverse recruitment panels where possible) to achieve this. TRAINING SU-led equality training in Fresher’s week for many years. Piloting a 2.5-hour compulsory session on racial equality, led by external facilitators, with break out workshops led by students and college staff All people who interview students or for work have to have undertaken equality training. Holding compulsory race equality awareness and sensitivity training for student facing staff (eg porters, hall staff) next month. EVENTS and SPECIFIC INITIATIVES Events We hold regular public events (eg Mansfield Friday Public Talks) and every term I ensure that the speakers are diverse. There is usually at least one equality-related event. We hold a black history month lecture. Last academic year we had a series of non-credit seminars open to all, jointly with our Human Rights Institute, on the history and law of modern slavery. We pay for students to organise tours with ‘Uncomfortable Oxford’ which talk about Oxford’s colonial history. Our chaplain holds a black history month service. College ensures hall staff are aware of all religious holidays and festivals in terms of organising menus. Oxford and Colonialism Project Entry on the Oxford and Colonialism Project Website which reflects on our colonial past and sets out what we are doing today to promote a more equal future. Our entry is here: https://oxfordandcolonialism.web.ox.ac.uk/mansfield-college Equality Library The Mansfield Equality Library – students, academics and alumni give suggestions to promote understanding of equality and to diversify our library holdings in all subject areas We have organised displays of some works from the Equality Library and a catalogue of where these works can be found throughout the library and other resources for promoting understanding of equality in other library collections in Oxford. We expand these collections each year. College of Sanctuary Status With Somerville, we are one of the first two accredited University Colleges of Sanctuary, affiliated to the Universities of Sanctuary movement. We have held two annual Refugee Lectures each CoS has a refugee scholarship and promotes and embeds understanding and awareness of refugee issues in College life. Also have links with refugee organisations e.g. Asylum Welcome in the City. FUNDING Black Academic Futures Scholarships 7 Kofi Annan Scholarships (in conjunction with the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann trust, and named specifically for an inspiring global person of colour, with the endorsement of Kofi Annan’s widow and the Annan foundation) COMMUNICATION College Principal wrote a message to the whole College community (alumni, students, staff) in support of BLM in the light of the George Floyd Murder Signed a letter from the heads of Colleges to the Guardian newspaper recognising the steps Oxford University needs to take to improve equality. |
| Merton | Statement – students, staff and Fellows wrote a joint statement last summer for our website/materials condemning GF’s killing – first joint statement of its kind at Merton. BLM reading group organised by several students as a means of education and communication. Attended by various Fellows Standing and updated EDI website to collate our activities and report on outcomes – updated version nearly complete and ready to publish for start of term. Identified key BAME alumni to listen to their experiences and to ask to get involved helping us create a better environment. Ensuring better representation on our alumni committees and thinking about ways for mentorship between alumni and students. Met with current BAME UG and Grad students every 3 weeks over summer 2020 and during Michaelmas term to listen and implement ideas, such as: Greater recognition of other religions in college – e.g. multifaith prayer room, etc: We have a solution for the start of this term start. We will get feedback on how students feel about the room and evolve as necessary. Greater recognition of other cultural occasions: We hosted some great dinner events this past year – when students were here – to celebrate several occasions that we had not acknowledged in the past (e.g. Diwali, Chinese New Year) – proved really popular and will repeat and do more this coming year. Portraiture: We want to diversify our portraiture at Merton and that was already in progress with a painting to go in Hall of a former famous black academic, Stuart Hall, and with a famous Black female artist, Claudette Johnson, commissioned. High table – more BAME guests from senior faculty and more BAME senior faculty. This is something we are working on now that colleges are opening again. More BAME students needed – critical mass. Multiple initiatives to encourage more BAME students to consider coming to Merton. We have just launched a collaboration with the Social Mobility Fund and recently delivered a series of inspiring talks to a range of schoolchildren from around the country. We will monitor the impact of these initiatives. Training for staff, students and fellows on all issues related to EDI. Ongoing and always looking for better training materials and courses. Welfare and BAME reps within the University – note VC’s letter and co-signed by all Heads of Houses to fix this – progress made. Progress made in terms of more BAME choristers in both our school girls’ choir as well as our student choir. Our Chaplain commissioned from Daniel Kidane – a fantastic black composer – a special piece of music for our choir to perform at a summer concert this year. Huge success and we are hoping to maintain a link with Daniel going forwards. Africa Oxford (AfOx) program we have supported in the past – now designated one of our Fellows to be the ambassador for the program at Merton and we have extended our financial commitment to support several fellows (one senior, arriving in January, and one junior next summer) for the next three years. Committed to financially support a BAME graduate in Faculty of Law. Black Academic Futures. Merton is financially supporting one DPhil student for 2022 entry. Also, the Collegiate Access Fund Management Board has agreed to support BAF as well as use the funds that we, at Merton, and the other wealthier colleges contribute via the College Contributions Scheme. JCR/MCR and our Equality Forum in discussion in light of last summer, let us to host Lady Phyll for our Equality Conversation in February. Huge success. We already financially support a Stuart Hall graduate scholarship that we fund as a ‘domus’ award, and this will continue. Hosted welfare teas and gatherings. We aim to work with relevant JCR/MCR reps to have a diversity formal this term or next |
| New | New College places huge emphasis on culture. The tone is set from the top, but it is expected that it is present throughout the whole community. Racism has to be utterly unacceptable behaviour, and our experience is that a positive, involving culture works in this respect. A Governing Body Fellow has responsibility as Equality and Diversity Fellow, and the Equality and Diversity Committee meet termly, chaired by the Warden. The Warden also sets up and chairs a BAME working party with representatives of all different groups. He also has regular interface with the JCR’s Ethnic Minorities’ Rep. Staff training versus bias – continuous. Annual BAME dinner which connects students to BAME alumni. Subsidising and encouraging minority ethnic social and cultural events. Black Arts Festival (in planning). Financing and encouraging a major JCR project, Testimony, detailing the positive impact of BAME alumni over time – publication in progress. School essays competition on race topic. Access initiatives: Black British UG Bursary just launched. (Robert Allen Perkins Scholarship) Target Oxbridge collaboration. Targeting and monitoring entry. Oxford African-Caribbean Society collaboration. JCR In-Reach Officer plays important role after arrival. Support of Black Academic futures for Grad students. Role Models; three new BAME honorary fellows have been elected: Richard Joseph (US Civil Rights background), John Edgar Wideman (iconic black American writer), Irfan Habib (Indian historian who challenges Western ethnocentricity) A major symposium in November will commemorate the life and work of Professor Michael Dummett, and his wife Ann, who died ten years ago. Dummett was a Fellow of New College, and a very important campaigner again racism and hostile immigration policies. This symposium will be accompanied by a book and an exhibition. Governing body has just given approval to create a new class of fixed class postgraduate academic fellowships, which will be targeted at BAME candidates, and will be termed “Dummett Fellows”. |
| Nuffield | Nuffield Undergraduate Scholars institute, which we ran for the first time in 2019, but has been scuppered by Covid since then – designed to prepare and encourage people for graduate study. ‘Preference may be given to applicants who identify as Black and Minority Ethnic. This means that, in the event that there are more shortlisted applicants than places, then, all other things being equal, an applicant’s ethnicity may be taken into account as a factor determining final selection.’ In the first year, four of the six scholars were from BAME backgrounds. Post doc examining the history of the City in relationship to slavery, supported by Freshfields – starts this year We instituted in 2019 an annual BME lecture and dinner – again this has since then been scuppered by Covid, but a report on the inaugural is given here: https://www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/news-events/news/nuffield-holds-inaugural-bme-talk-and-dinner/ Black Academic Futures Scholarship |
| Oriel | Create the office of Tutor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion who will be a Fellow and Trustee of the College Develop a strategic plan for improving educational equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring it is embedded more formally in the College Fundraise for scholarships to support students from Southern Africa Enact a 2016 decision to have an annual lecture on a topic related to the Rhodes legacy, race, or colonialism Institute an annual student prize (e.g. for an essay, artwork or photography) on a topic related to Rhodes legacy, race, or colonialism Provide additional training for academic and non-academic staff in race awareness Introduce further outreach initiatives targeted at BME student recruitment Establish a task force to consider the recommendations contained in the report of the Commission, together with other ideas for contextualisation, and to oversee their implementation Commission a virtual exhibition to provide an arena for contextualisation and explanation of the Rhodes legacy and related issues of relevance to the College’s objectives Undertake to contextualise the Rhodes legacy and memorials, including both physical elements at the site and virtual resources Establish a task force to consider the recommendations contained in the report of the Commission, together with other ideas for contextualisation, and to oversee their implementation Commission a virtual exhibition to provide an arena for contextualisation and explanation of the Rhodes legacy and related issues of relevance to the College’s objectives Undertake to contextualise the Rhodes legacy and memorials, including both physical elements at the site and virtual resources Contributing to the Target Oxbridge programme to support talented African and Caribbean students and students of mixed race with black African and Caribbean heritage in their Oxbridge applications. From the autumn, we will be working with a wonderful charity, Generating Genius, to support Year 12 A-Level students from African and Caribbean backgrounds to gain key skills to thrive in the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). We have offered to support a full scholarship for a Black or mixed-Black UK postgraduate student through the Black Academic Futures programme and are awaiting details of when the first student may be able to join us under this scheme. We have funded a scholarship for an Afghan female graduate student and hope to expand this initiative. |
| Pembroke | – Black Pembroke Group as part of welfare and equality committee chaired by independent black alumni – Associated with thinking black – hope is a star, committee members for thinking black – Oxnet – helping schools in the northwest, now has a specific black focus, producing Pembroke scholars (most likely to come to oxford and come for extra tuition) and most of them are of colour – Recruited first black governing body fellow with engineering dept – Dr Ana Namburete – Additional junior dean to lead on black welfare issues – thought it was necessary to help with some issues – Black Academic Futures programme – Strict disciplinary system – CredOx – invested in a system to track how demographic information correlates with academic attainment to prove the successes of students of colour |
| Queen’s | In its statement of 9 June 2020 in response to Black Lives Matters, the Governing Body committed to setting up a working group, to include students and staff from across the College, tasked with working to put forward concrete and meaningful proposals to the Governing Body. Brittenden Fellowship in Black British History The Queen’s College is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Meleisa Ono-George as its first Brittenden Fellow in History, with an Associate Professorship in Oxford’s History Faculty, starting in October 2021. For the newly established Brittenden Fellowship in History, the College and Faculty had agreed that the post would be in Black British History, for an historian with knowledge of the culture, society, or politics of people of African and/or Caribbean descent in Britain. |
| Regent’s | Statement made in support of BLM last year 2 members from Regent’s appointed to the uni-wide Racial Equality Task Force Organised a major multi-disciplinary conference on ‘dismantling whiteness’ in April ( http://www.rpc.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dismantling-Whiteness-symposium.pdf) |
| St Anne’s | Trial widening the membership of the College’s Equal Opportunities Committee to include not just the Equalities Representatives of the JCR and MCR, but also the student elected representatives of specific groups (e.g. JCR and MCR Women’s’, BAME, LGBT, and Disability Representatives). Explore the willingness of members of the SCR and ACR to act as representatives or points of contact for groups with legally protected characteristics and develop proposals for the role they could play within the College and any training or other support needed. Within point 2. Identify a point of contact who will have the confidence of our black students to deal with any race related concerns they may wish to raise. Work with the JCR and MCR to include appropriate Race Awareness Workshops for new students in Fresher’s Week. Require/expect all staff at St Anne’s to undertake the University’s online Implicit Bias and Race Awareness training modules. Identify further appropriate diversity awareness training or materials to assist all staff to be confident in supporting colleagues and students from diverse groups. Identify appropriately qualified black and other ethnic minority individuals for GB to consider for election or appointment to positions within our gift, including supernumerary, honorary, advisory and appropriate research fellowships. All are requested to forward nominations for consideration. Identify further potential adjustments to our governance that will provide more opportunities for diverse input to the College’s decision making. Review and promote the College’s Harassment Policy and Social Media guidelines. Support relevant Departmental initiatives that will further diversify research and teaching in the University, including exploring opportunities to fund new College associated posts. Increasing diversity in Honorary Fellowships – Bernadine Evaristo did an interview with the College Trying to raise funds for academic post around black literature Election of new Honorary Fellow and hold inaugural election event Agree new College Harassment Policy and Social Media guidelines Agree fundraising activity with the University English Department for a College fellowship in Black Literature Additional Recommendation: identify steps that can be taken to address disparity in offer rates for BAME undergraduate applicants to St Anne’s. |
| St Anthony’s | The external Committee on Diversity and Equality has now been established and is undertaking an audit of the whole college community in order to come up with recommendations for future practice. |
| St Benet’s | — |
| St Catherine’s | Black History Month Exhibition Trying to prevent every generation feeling like they are the first generation of Black students at Oxford JCR workshops on race – “don’t ask if you can touch my hair” etc. Had a conversation with all of the students of colour (Black students) at the height of BLM Increased the number of peer mentors and ensured one of them was Black Also appointed a Junior Dean who was Black Revised the Harassment policy to make it clear how anything could be reported 4 Black alumni have been contacted – meeting every term with those alumni and whichever black students would like to come along Black students can raise concerns and Alumni can also input suggestions about what changes are needed Discussion with the current JCR president for this year’s BHM(Term) – celebrating pre-colonial Africa Master feels that she should support the ideas put forward by the JCR rather than put forward her own agenda Buying more books by black academics (History fellows) |
| St Edmund’s Hall | Access, equality, diversity and inclusivity are at the heart of the Hall’s 10-year strategy, with the Hall holding events, sending communications and making sure that governance structures are in place to improve existing practices to help to ensure that everyone feels included within the community. Examples Equality & Diversity Week (running since 2016). Each year Teddy Hall students run a very popular week long programme of workshops, film screenings, talks and a food fayre to encourage discussion around equality and diversity. This event is supported by St Edmund Hall. Raising anti-racism awareness: This year St Edmund Hall are organising an external organisation to talk about diversity for freshers’ week. We feel that bringing in outside professional resources in fresher’s week will provide better support and understanding around issues on racism as well as sexual consent to our students. Teddy Hall issued a statement on anti-institutional racism after the death of George Floyd: https://www.seh.ox.ac.uk/news/a-statement-from-st-edmund-hall JCR have a BAME Buddy system and Facebook group for Freshers. We are official partners of UNIQ, The Brilliant Club and Opportunity Oxford – all of which aim to help students from under-represented and diverse backgrounds apply to Oxford. Several committees discuss issues of equality and diversity: College Welfare Committee Communications, Academic, Cultural, Events Committee Inclusivity, Diversity, Equality and Access Committee Comms – all our images and video content portray a wide range of students from different backgrounds. We have a dedicated Instagram Access Channel run by student ambassadors who celebrate all cultures and feature students from different backgrounds on their Instagram takeovers. Our internal newsletter regularly includes items which support BAME students e.g. Black Academic Futures Scholarships. We celebrate Black History Month on website and social media. The Hall’s Library team produce annual displays to celebrate Black History Month. We’re working on improving our content on ‘Our Community’ page. |
| St Hilda’s | Emerald Ace-Acquah and I discussed what she meant by ‘anti-racism’ when we met on Teams on 21 September. · Making racism difficult · Promoting diversity /access Inclusion Making racism difficult St Hilda’s has recently been updating its Harassment Policy, to include more explicit statements than hitherto about the positive values that the College wishes to project for all its members. At the time of writing, this has yet to be approved by Governing Body (should go through in 5th week), but the preamble includes, for example, the following commitment: “The College is committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all members of the College community are respected.” As a College, we aim to create the best possible environment for all our students and staff to flourish in and to respond quickly if incidents are brought to our attention in which we fall short. Promoting diversity / access The Executive Summary of St Hilda’s Strategic Plan 2019-2024, passed by Governing Body in October 2019, notes that: ‘College is keen to enhance diversity among its applicant pool and will participate in programmes that work with identified high-achieving underrepresented groups.’ The College has explicitly undertaken to work with Target Oxbridge to seek to increase applications from black and mixed-race students from African and Caribbean backgrounds, in addition to its established work with UNIQ. In March 2022, St Hilda’s is co-hosting a Target Oxbridge seminar, with potential applicants for medicine coming to St Hilda’s for specialised events and advice. The College was also pleased to be approached directly by the Afro-Caribbean Society to host an Offer-Holder event in February 2022. St Hilda’s is delighted to provide travel grants to support travel to Oxford and will host a dinner for event participants. We consider that an important message to applicants from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, which we seek to communicate at Open Days, is that it is beneficial in the competition for places at a university such as Oxford to apply for subjects that you are interested in and passionate about, and that the social benefits of studying here will enable you to move with confidence into subsequent careers that are not obviously connected to your subject of study (for example, many students move from Humanities degrees to law conversion courses or graduate trainee programmes; all our degree courses train you in managing large quantities of knowledge efficiently and in skills of critical analysis). In our conversation, I also mentioned the Joyce Mitchell Cook Memorial Lecture and Joyce Mitchell Cook Memorial Fund. Dr Joyce Mitchell Cook (PPP, 1955) was a pioneering alumna of St Hilda’s College. The first Black American woman to earn a doctorate in Philosophy in the USA, Joyce became a guide and mentor to generations of women who followed in her path. After graduating with distinction from Bryn Mawr, Joyce came to St Hilda’s in 1955 to read for a second degree in Psychology, Philosophy and Physiology – a course that was one of the first to include Psychology at Oxford. Fresh from her tutorials with Miss Sybil Crowe at St Hilda’s, Joyce went on to Yale where she achieved her PhD in Philosophy in 1965. The first Lecture in her name, conceived as an annual event, was held in May 2021, and given by Professor Anita L Allen, the Henry R Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. See https://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/content/inaugural-dr-joyce-mitchell-cook-memorial-lecture The fund, for which we continue to seek donations, will create a fully-funded graduate scholarship in Philosophy for talented students from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds (BAME) from around the world. See https://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/content/joyce-mitchell-cook-memorial-fund Inclusive College ethos We are keen to demonstrate our commitment to welcoming more black and other ethnic minority students to St Hilda’s and to show off our facilities and support offer. St Hilda’s is a diverse community with an ethos of supporting the development of the whole person and we believe we offer a supportive and inclusive environment for ethnic minority students (as for all our very diverse student body). An initiative enabled by our recent building programme has been the establishment of a multifaith room, The Sanctuary, which replaces our former traditional Christian chapel, and the appointment of a multifaith Chaplain and Director of the Multifaith Room. The Sanctuary offers a place for prayer, worship and meditation, as well as a number of community activities such as mindfulness classes and yoga workshops, for College members of all faiths and of none. The establishment of The Sanctuary has been well-received by students from diverse religious backgrounds as enabling the participation in College spiritual life by a much broader range of College members than had previously been the case and a gesture signifying the College’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity I was also delighted to be able to host Nigerian-German author Ijoma Mangold at St Hilda’s this term; he read from his recently translated memoir The German Crocodile at a well-attended evening event in October: https://www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk/content/growing-bi-racial-germany |
| St Hugh’s | Task Force Race Equality Task Force which has met 3 times now I believe and the BAME rep is now a formal JCR committee position and so gets funding (whereas before they were subcommittee and had no budget). We’ve tried to increase the visibility of our Equality and Diversity officer The Taskforce includes academics, admin staff, and students from the JCR and MCR. So far, the College has sought to action a number of the Taskforce’s recommendations, including increased visibility of the Tutor for E&D, professional training on race for students, and more events that raise awareness about race and celebrate diversity and minority ethnic cultures. The Ademola Project The Lady Ademola Project launched in Hilary Term 2020 supporting students and scholars of Black, African, or Caribbean heritage Kofoworola Ademola (née Moore) (1913 – 2002) arrived at St Hugh’s College in 1932 to study English and in 1935 became the first black African woman to achieve a degree at Oxford. Lady Ademola, as Kofoworola would become, was a lifelong advocate for women’s education and social reform—hence this project, which is intended to keep her legacy alive in the new millennium. We celebrated her life and work at a function where Pamela Roberts, Founder and Director of Black Oxford Untold Stories, gave a lecture and a photo of Lady Ademola taken on a visit to the College was unveiled. The Lady Ademola Lecture is delivered annually by an eminent speaker of Black, African, or Caribbean heritage who can speak on any topic related to their expertise or experience. In June 2021, we were honoured to hear Professor Loretta J Ross give a lecture entitled ‘Appropriate Whiteness’. Professor Ross is an Associate Professor at Smith College in Northampton (USA), Massachusetts, in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender. St Hugh’s Ademola Graduate Scholarship in 2021-2022, in partnership with the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) which supports a student who has otherwise been unable to secure funding to read for one-year Masters in any field supported by scholars at the College. The partnership with AfOx means that our scholarship holder will benefit from mentoring and academic support, membership of a community of students from Africa, and access to professional opportunities. We are very excited to welcome Ndume Ibrahimu, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, to read for a Master of Studies in Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics in Michaelmas Term 2021. This has been made possible by the contributions from our donors and alumni. We hope to host a senior Visiting Fellow from an African university to the College in the coming academic year, when conditions of travel allow. This builds on the excellent visit in 2019 of Dr Alemseged Beldados of the University of Addis Ababa, supported by an AfOx Fellowship. St Hugh’s currently has six fellows whose research is directly concerned with Africa and its diaspora, and a growing number of undergraduate and postgraduate students of Black, African, or Caribbean heritage. The Diversity Trust We arranged for The Diversity Trust to run a race awareness workshop (online) in January for our students; this will be run again in Michaelmas. The Diversity Trust also ran a session on unconscious bias, including material on race, for all tutors and staff in January. Black History Month We featured profiles of black alumni on our website and in the Chronicle and are planning dedicated online features and celebrations within the College for the next Black History Month in October 2021. Open-Day •We will be holding a special open-day in September for BAME students from state schools. |
| St John’s | a cross-college working group through 20/21 discussing our approach to race and equality; this had representation from all ‘groups’: students, academic and non-academic staff and alumni from ethnic minority backgrounds. Implement a system of active support in order to improve the experience of BAME students in College Embed diversity and anti-racism training for all students into College life beyond Freshers’ week Establish a mentoring scheme for BAME students, drawing on the experience of interested alumni Work with outside providers to develop diversity and anti-racism training for all staff and Fellows that is tailored to the College context and culture. Explore ways of increasing staff diversity, including working with suitably experienced local employers and running an open day for the local community Incorporate the celebration of diversity into the life of College, starting with a photographic exhibition to celebrate current and former BAME members. Participate in the University’s Black Academic Futures programme and explore future funding possibilities to support access for under-represented groups St John’s and the Colonial Past – project examining the colonial history of the College |
| St Peter’s | St Peter’s is committed to creating and maintaining a community which promotes equality and values diversity amongst all its staff and students. This is always a work in progress and we continue to ask ourselves what else we could collectively be doing to improve our diversity and our inclusivity. Working with and through our Forum for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (which includes good representation from staff and students), here are some of the initiatives we have developed in relation to the anti-racism agenda: Mandatory race awareness training for all members of Governing Body and key student-facing college staff Equality and diversity dinners with speaker events focussing on race and heritage Black British Literature book display for Black History Month each year New webpage showcasing the history of a sample selection of Black students of the College Diversity audit (participation voluntary) covering all students and staff in college Focussed research into representation of BAME students in admissions statistics Analysis of gender and ethnicity profile of job applicants ‘Who We Are’ photo exhibition in lodge, showing the diversity of the community to ensure profile – an exhibition which we have just updated to reflect our current community. New portraiture of fellows and alumni of colour in dining hall to ensure profile and inclusion. See the photo gallery by scrolling down here. Increased number of BAME representatives on our EDI Forum Planning of inclusive calendar of college events to represent range of faiths and identities New archival research into the college’s historical links to colonisation and empire Celebration of research that throws the spotlight on previously unheard voices. For example, our new appointment as Tutor and Fellow in History of Art is seeking to open up art history to non-traditional audiences, allowing the perspectives of the long excluded to be valued and heard. She is examining historical engagements with classical form by a selection of marginalised artists, the majority of whom are Black women. Keep listening to those whose daily experience is affected by the culture we collectively generate in relation to diversity and inclusivity. |
| Somerville | Made frequent updates to our Somerville BAME students Facebook group, especially following important world events. Changed the constitution to allow for two BAME officers to hold office at the same time, so that a wider range of experiences can be represented. Held events for BAME students (such as the LMH-Somerville BAME games night, a picnic that will happen in 10th week and a BAME formal which will happen next Michaelmas). We attend frequent Equalities and Diversities meetings with senior officials at Somerville to voice any issues and priorities to do with BAME students – this meeting has led to policies such as obligatory unconscious bias training for students and staff. We’re currently working on Black History Month events – eg working with the librarian and archivists to find and display information about past BAME students and their legacies Working with outreach team to improve diversity |
| Trinity | Race and Inclusivity Action Group (began in July 2020 and became official part of governing body) – drawn from a wide cross-section of our community, including the JCR, MCR, SCR and staff, as well as those in key roles with responsibilities for supporting our equalities and access policies and procedures Aims to take forward a set of projects and actions that will measurably improve our ability to embed race equality, combat discrimination, hold ourselves to account, and address some of the areas where we do not yet represent in practice what we aspire to in our values. To this end, Trinity has begun a research project to look into the lives of individuals who had connections with the Atlantic slave trade and its legacies. Plans to incorporate Action Group’s conclusions into 5-year plan |
| University | Univ established a working party last year (2020) to look at anti racism issues. Have established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee which is looking at a range of issues including how best to ensure we have an inclusive culture in College, the data and what it tells us about Univ, training and memorialisation. The Univ Governing Body also agreed to the establishment a Fellow for Anti Racism Working through the recommendations made by the Working Party Black Academic Futures Scholarship |
| Wadham | Equality Committee that meets every term – includes academic, staff and student members Race Working Group – includes academic, staff and student members Three Tutors for Equality amongst the Fellowship, including a Tutor for Race and they work closely with students. |
| Worcester | Black Academic Futures Scholarship Admissions strategy 83% state 35% most socioeconomically / educationally disadvantaged groups (Band A) 27.5% from areas of low participation (POLAR 1 & 2) 27.5% from areas of socio-economic disadvantage This turned around very quickly indeed. Learning Development Officer – To support students coming from a wide range of schooling and backgrounds, we hired the LDO who offers learning support of all kinds. She manages the Equal Access to Learning Fund, which includes grants for books and laptops – for students and for offer-holders, too. Pedagogy project – Rea and I run termly two-hour workshops on Inclusive Teaching for all Worcester faculty. We know that with students coming from new (to us) kinds of schooling and background, we will need to develop our teaching to meet these needs. (We know that ‘potential’ and ‘intelligence’ are more complex and more widely distributed than previously assumed. So we are working to get better at recognizing and developing them.) Welfare – Worcester boosted its welfare provisions for the same reasons. I’d argue that we have the largest, best welfare team in Oxford. Action Group – In 2020/21, I convened an Action Group to help get Worcester moving on all fronts (of equality issues). This included the Interim Provost, the Access Officer, reps from the JCR and MCR, a member of non-academic staff, the Womxn’s Officer, and an alumna. Full review and analysis with consultancy – Worcester has agreed to work with an outside agency to help us understand where we actually are with regard to equity and inclusion, and to help us develop strategies to get where we want to go. That work should start in the new year. Equalities review (ongoing) – I work with the JCR, MCR, and (for staff) the HR department to make sure our culture and communications align with our goals. For instance, we spent a lot of time re-organising Freshers’ Week for 2021, to make sure everyone felt properly and truly included. This is an ongoing and collegial (I believe!) conversation. Revision of policies and procedures regarding equality, harassment, discrimination, and bullying – The College, via the Action Group, worked to improve the policies and procedures in all the above categories. We sought legal advice to make sure we were as clear and up-to-date as possible, and we communicated these policies and procedures to all students – freshers and veterans alike. A few more things you can find on the ‘Equalities’ page of our website – Decolonisation course Deecolonising the library shelves The Community, Equality and Decolonisation fund |
| Wycliffe | — |
| Racial Equality Task Force | Have a slot in Conference of colleges to feedback from Task Force Would be good for colleges to work together more systematically and share good practice etc Collect equality data on staff Oxford and Colonialism Project examining the relationship between some colleges and Colonialism Course about history and law of slavery |
Is Oxford Trying To Be Less Racist? The Investigative Material
