Stephen Bunbury, Senior Lecturer in Law, Dr Deborah Husbands, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, and Professor Dibyesh Anand, Head of the School of Social Sciences, have written an article for Times Higher Education (THE) Campus, providing practical advice on ensuring allyship is taken seriously in higher education institutions (HEIs).
The article discusses how following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, many universities made commitments that they would tackle racism within their institutions, however the authors state that this has not been enough, and that practical actions continue to be needed.
They therefore set out six practical steps that HEIs can take in order to demonstrate that they are taking the issue seriously on campuses, including understanding what allyship is; establishing working groups and leadership that focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); tackling the idea that some people “don’t see racism”; promoting an environment that allows open and honest conversations; listening to minoritized people’s stories; and focusing on small changes without losing the big picture.
Speaking about why having the buy-in from the senior leadership in supporting efforts to tackle anti-racism is important, the authors said: “Having strong strategic leadership across the university in terms of EDI is key to effective allyship. This has to be embedded within departments and faculties university-wide. For example, we recommend establishing EDI student and staff working groups/committees university-wide and also within departments/faculties. Given the hierarchies within institutions, buy-in from senior leadership is an absolute must in order to have a governance structure that balances conversation and action, scrutiny and accountability.”
On the importance of promoting an environment where honest and open conversations about racism can take place, the authors added: “One of the problematic issues in tackling race inequalities is uncomfortable conversations about race inequalities, which many people – staff as well as students – shy away from. Many do not know what they can do to be allies and, as a result, remain silent. Some are silent because they fear they will make mistakes. But silence is a privilege too. Those of us who are minoritized and have our experiences invisibilised need allies to speak up, even at the risk of making mistakes.”
Stephen Bunbury is Senior Lecturer in Law, Research, Learning and Development Officer of the BME Network committee, member of the Black History Year steering group, and Black History Create Programme Lead, all at the University of Westminster. Dr Deborah Husbands is Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Co-Chair of the BME Network and Black History Year Programme Lead at the University of Westminster, and Professor Dibyesh Anand is Head of the School of Social Sciences, Co-Chair of the BME Network and EDI committee also at Westminster and the Chair of London Higher’s EDI Network.
The authors acknowledge the expertise of Dr Kate M Graham as key to shaping the THE article.
Read the full article on Times Higher Education’s website.
Find out more about Westminster’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
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