Westminster holds second annual Challenging Racisms in Higher Education and Beyond conference

The conference featured a diverse range of speakers and panel discussions aimed at exploring and challenging various forms of racism present within academia and wider society.

The conference began with an opening session, featuring a welcome from Co-Chairs of University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Professor Dibyesh Anand and Professor Alex Hughes.

This was followed by a panel discussion on the intersections of Black and female experiences in academia, led by Dr Deborah Husbands, Chartered Psychologist and Reader in Psychology at the University of Westminster, and featuring Carlette Norwood, sociology lecturer, trainer, and PhD mentor with expertise in cultural intelligence and racial literacy; Dr Rutendo Musikavanhu, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader on the Event Design MA and Management MA courses; Cheyenne Holborough, Academic Representation Coordinator at the University of Westminster Students’ Union; and Dr Yaz Osho, EDI Lead and Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship.

After a tea break, attendees had the chance to hear from keynote speaker Jason Arday, Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge, on the topic of celebrating Black excellence and achievement in higher education. A panel discussion on Islamophobia as racism, led by Sobia Razzaq, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Westminster, then took place featuring Sanah Ahsan, award-winning poet, liberation psychologist, and educator; Myriam Francois, award-winning Franco-Irish journalist, filmmaker, and writer; and Rakin Niass Fetuga, a British-born Nigerian and educator with 30 years of experience.

This was followed by a panel discussion led by Professor Anand on antisemitism as racism, featuring Dave Rich, Director of Policy at the Community Security Trust, and Dr Camila Bassi, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Sheffield Hallam University.

A panel discussion led by Dr Farhang Morady, Principal Lecturer in International Development and coordinator of Democratic Education Network, and Professor Anand on lived experience of casteism, class, and other discriminations and the role of community mobilisation with students, student leaders and journalists then took place before the day concluded with closing remarks and a drinks reception.

Speaking about the Conference, Professor Anand said: “It was a full day of conference and yet the energy in the room was high throughout because the subject matter under consideration affects so many of us, especially those minoritized and marginalised. Conversations and actions need to go hand in hand. If there is one message that came out loud and clear, it was that we must understand and fight racisms of all kinds intersectionally.”

Read Doctoral researcher Naomi Alormele’s reflections on the conference in her blog post.

Find out more about Westminster’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.