An update on race equality at The University of London

In June, the University of London committed to promoting race equality. A number of actions suggested by the University’s Race Equality Group have now been implemented and we are very pleased to provide an update on our progress to date. These include action on recruitment, training, appraisal and development of staff in respect of the University’s role as employer. More details on these actions are outlined below:

• A standard line in recruitment ads encouraging applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff, who are underrepresented in certain levels, has now been adopted for all new roles.
• Changes are being made to the recruitment procedure to ensure that interview panels are diverse.
• Unconscious Bias and Race Awareness training for all staff, and further training aimed at managers, is being rolled out over the next few weeks, with a target for completing this programme by the end of the year. All members of the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group have committed to participating in and completing this programme of training as soon as it is available this calendar year.
• The University has adopted an ‘Allyship toolkit’ developed by the Race Equality Group.
• Internal auditors will review progress of all recommendations and report directly to the Vice Chancellor in October and then formally to the Equality and Inclusion Committee.

On the academic side, staff across the School of Advanced Study (SAS) have developed an inspiring programme of events and initiatives with a focus on race equality. These include:

• the creation of an oral history of the Windrush Generation.
• the organisation of a seminar series on Black British History and the legacies of imperialism.
• national efforts to decolonise the History curriculum.
• international Being Human festival that expands access to the humanities.
• SAS’s commitment to inspiring research, providing resources, and facilitating conversations that promote the understanding and destruction of systemic racism, discrimination, and inequality. SAS actively supports the Solidarity Statement of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI), of which it is a member.
• The Institute of English Studies, with financial assistance from the University's Convocation Trust, has established a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship as part of its Toolkit for Diversity and Inclusion in English Studies (TIDE) programme. The Fellow will explore forgotten BAME histories and participate in initiatives to decolonise the discipline, both within IES and externally with partners University English, the English Association, the Postcolonial Studies Association and the University of East Anglia.

Further actions are ongoing and we look forward to providing more updates as they are introduced.