As major institutions across the country seek to respond to the challenge posed to the country by the vast demonstrations organised in support of the black lives matter movement, the difference between their words and their actions are becoming increasingly exposed as people begin to critically examine their stated commitment to equality. One such sector that is attracting huge attention are Universities, and the issue goes way beyond statues.
Many staff and students in universities around the country are enraged at what they see as the hypocrisy of corporate university communications statements pledging support for the BLM movement against a historical backdrop of policy inertia, continued racism failure to decolonise the curriculum and managerial indifference to this issue.
One such University that has come to my attention is the Liverpool John Moores University. (LJMU) who recently published a statement from the Vice-Chancellor Ian Campbell on 5th June, in response to the Black Lives Matter movements outlining both his and the University's total uncompromising commitment to eliminating racism.
What followed was massive disquiet amongst students and staff in the response. Ins short mist thought this a cynical PR exercise and began to publically criticise LJMU. Five days later on the 10th June the Director of LJMU Corporate Communications Janet Martin sent an email to all staff seeking to prevent them from expressing their opinions re Black Lives Matter issues and requiring all staff to clear any social media comment with the Vice Chancellors Office. The email read,
Whilst attempting to engage in discussion and to show support for other important issues, related to black lives matter, slavery commemorations and the like, I urge caution. This including liking, re-sharing or retweeting. The University through its main accounts is doing that, with the agreement and sign off on the VC and others. We are engaging at a senior level and on a regular basis with colleagues at JM SU and within the city and our communities. If you feel you want or need to engage in any way on these issues, please check that with me first.
This attempt to shut down real debate around issues of racism is a familiar theme amongst universities. The response to this email was overwhelming criticism and rejection from staff and trade unions. Many saw this as a direct attempt to prevent staff raising issues that highlighted the real realities of racism at the university but stood in stark contrast to the Vice-Chancellors public statement in support of the black lives matter movement. Black and ethnic minority staff were particularly aggrieved and supported by their white colleagues in pointing out the apparent hypocrisy of the University's position.
This is not just an issue for LJMU. I recently spoke to over 40 students from across the country during an online meeting organised by Black Impact, an African and Caribbean student movement network was reflecting on black rights matter movement in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in the United States.
What I found interesting was Black students response to the plethora of public statements made by universities across the country in support of the black lives matter movement. Student after student complaint at their University statement was a million miles away from the reality of racism and discrimination that constituted the majority of black students experience on almost all university campuses.
One of the outcomes of Black Impacts national meeting was that they committed challenging universities committed to the Higher Education Race Equality Charter.
That was supposed to provide a framework for tackling racism within universities but has proven to be totally and utterly ineffective, amounting to nothing more than cosmetic, diversity window dressing.
The Chair of Black Impact Ceewhy Ochogba commented,
"Right across England and Wales students are contacting us and issuing public statements pointing out the failure of their universities to live up to the sentiments expressed in universities public statements purporting to support the black lives matter movement. We know that the vast majority of universities simply failed to address the issues of racism on campus as it affects both students and staff.
The nationally agreed framework for advancing race equality, the Higher Education Race Equality Framework has failed. We will be consulting Black students and other ethnic minority student movements, to develop a new framework, and we intend to contact both universities and the government to demand they introduce with immediate effect. We are tired of this hypocrisy."
N.B. Black Impact has now launched a national campaign fund to support Black students seeking to challenge university racism across the country. A campaign well worth supporting.
End.
