Race Equality Charter
Reflecting our commitment to anti-racism, the College has signed up for the Advance HE's Race Equality Charter award process.
On 18 November 2020, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Latchman, wrote to Advance HE (who oversee the charter) to signal our commitment to its five guiding principles.
This followed a number of externally-facilitated Strategic Conversations on Race in October 2020, involving staff of all levels as well as an Equality and Diversity survey of senior management. These activities were aimed at deepening staff knowledge and understanding of, and perceptions regarding, racial inequality, unconscious bias, micro-aggressions and systemic racism.
The College recognises that it still has more work to do in this area, and senior management have continued to champion the anti-racism agenda, including updating Governors on important steps and initiatives.
ABOUT THE RACE EQUALITY CHARTER
The Race Equality Charter (REC) provides the framework through which institutions work to identify and self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers standing in the way of staff and students from Black, Asian and other racialised communities.
A Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team (REC SAT), chaired by Professor Kevin Ibeh, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), has been established to support staff, students and the organisation to observe these principles and work towards an application for a REC award. The REC SAT are responsible for undertaking a full review of race equality across the College, developing an action plan and leading Birkbeck's application for the REC.
The main areas of focus for the REC SAT are:
- institutional culture
- students' access and participation
- students' progression, retention and attainment gaps
- curriculum inclusiveness and decolonisation
- academic staff pipeline, promotion and recognition
- professional and support staff pipeline, promotion and recognition.