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UCL's commitment to challenging racism

20 April 2021

Prof Sasha Roseneil, Pro-Provost (Equity and Inclusion) on UCL's commitment to addressing racism and racial inequality

Improving our offering for Teaching Fellows at UCL

In the light of recent public discussion of institutional racism, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to combatting the impacts of racism on our collective life as a university. We remain of the view that racism continues to shape our experiences of work and study, our everyday lives and relationships, and the communities we serve. We recognise the potency of institutional racism and we are determined to challenge it in all its forms.

In 2019, UCL adopted a statement on race developed by our Race Equality Steering Group, the content of which remains as relevant as ever to our work. The statement says:

“Action for race equality exists because racism exists in our daily lives, our institutions and society at large. Racism in the UK is the exercise of historic power relations that produce discrimination and is ideologically driven. It means students and staff who identify and are identified as part of the white ethnic majority enjoy a position of relative and typically unspoken and unacknowledged privilege over Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students and staff. Racism manifests at work, in student attainment, staff appointments and promotions. Racism must be fought by everyone. This statement names the challenge.”

In January 2021 UCL’s Senior Management Team endorsed UCL’s Race Equality Implementation Group interim report, which sets out our institutional priorities and actions to address the systemic and structural barriers to race equity in our university. The report articulates a vision in relation to strategy and culture, staff recruitment, pay, retention and staff progression, and teaching, learning and research, and identifies 35 actions for us to take. These will be at the heart of our equality, diversity and inclusion work in the months and years to come.

Professor Sasha Roseneil
Pro-Provost (Equity and Inclusion)