UCL Laws announces Dean’s Race Equality Pledges for 2020-2021
9 December 2020
After an extensive consultation exercise with colleagues and students, UCL Faculty of Laws has published its Dean’s Race Equality Pledges for 2020-2021.
![Front view of the Portico building](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/sites/laws/files/styles/large_image/public/portico_1280x854.jpg?itok=aXZ3bY15)
The purpose of these annual commitments is to advance race equality objectives for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) applicants, students and colleagues in the Faculty. Strategic objectives for the Faculty include widening participation and a sense of belonging for BAME students; promoting the recruitment and career progression of BAME academic and professional services colleagues; and diversifying the UCL Laws’ curriculum. With these objectives in mind, the Faculty has committed to take the following five actions over the next 12 months:
- Permanently embed Laws’ Perspectives Workshops in the Faculty which engage with legal topics from marginalised perspectives including race and issues of intersectionality and continue to promote inclusivity on all modules, liaising with the UCL Liberating the Curriculum initiative and Student Curriculum Partners;
- Use where feasible ethnically diverse advisory panels in all Faculty promotion processes;
- Promote more ethnically diverse speakers and panels at Faculty events;
- Review LLB admissions processes in order to encourage and support more successful applications from BAME students;
- Investigate causes of significant increase in BAME Attainment Gap in Laws in 2019, and explore appropriate responses.
For further information see the UCL Deans’ Pledges Webpage.
On the publication of the five Pledges, Professor Prince Saprai (Vice-Dean for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) has commented that: "The Dean’s Pledges are a central vehicle for ensuring effective action is taken on race equality in the Faculty with regards to issues that directly affect the representation and experience of colleagues and students from ethnic minority backgrounds. As a Faculty we recognise that academic excellence goes hand in hand with ensuring that our doors are open to all regardless of ethnic background. These Pledges are a central plank of our strategy to promote inclusivity and equality of opportunity."
Resources
- Faculty Statement in Solidarity with our Black Students, Staff and Alumni Around the World
- Laws Race Equality Network
- UCL Statement on Race
- Race Equality at UCL
- B-MEntor Academic Mentoring Scheme
- UCL Inclusive Advocacy Scheme
- UCL Emerging Leaders Programme
- Widening Participation Summer School
- Access UCL Contextual Offers Scheme
- Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme
- Support for Racial and Xenophobic Harassment
- Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation
- Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave Ownership
- UCL African Caribbean Society
- UCL BAME Attainment Project
- LLM Decolonizing Law module
- Race Matters Network