Join us in celebrating Black History

At the University of Brighton, our dedication to acknowledging and honouring Black history extends throughout the year. While Black History Month in October serves as a special opportunity to amplify the voices of minority ethnic communities, our commitment to this ongoing journey of learning from history remains unwavering. We invite you to join us in this collective effort to build a brighter future by drawing wisdom from the past.

This year’s theme is ‘Saluting Our Sisters’. The theme is a tribute to Black women whose contributions were overlooked, ideas were borrowed without credit, and voices were silenced. Our program is diverse and inclusive, available to all colleagues and students through a dedicated Microsoft Teams Group accessible online. We extend a warm invitation to everyone in our community to take the opportunity to lead a session.

Black History Month events

Race Equality at the University of Brighton: Past, Present and Future
2pm-3pm, Wednesday 25 October

The fourth in this year’s speaker series marking Black History Month will be led by Race Equality Charter Co-chairs Professor Bhavik Patel and Dr Francisca Farache. Together, they will share the University of Brighton’s vision of building on the ongoing work on race equality to ensure we establish ourselves as an anti-racist institution in which all structural racial inequalities experienced by our staff and students are eradicated and discuss aims for the future.

Black Lives Matter: What Does Institutional Racism Mean?
11am-12pm, Wednesday 4 October

The first in our speaker series marking this year’s Black History Month will see Portsmouth City Council’s Sandra Charles discussing Black Lives Matter and the meaning of institutional racism.

Sandra ioined Portsmouth City Council in 2010 as a Hate Crime Worker within the Anti-Social Behaviour Unit as a specialist Hate Crime caseworker. She is also a proud member of UNISON’s Black Members Group; regionally, she acts as the Deputy Co-Convenor and nationally she sits on the National Black Members Committee and the National Women’s Committee.

Working in the Entertainment Industry
2-3pm, Wednesday 11 October

Actress, comedian, presenter, and writer Verona Rose discusses what it’s like to be Black in the entertainment industry, for the second of this year’s speaker series marking Black History Month.

Verona is known for writing, producing and starring in comedy series such as Fully Blown, and has also appeared in shows such as Netflix’s top 10 drama, Top Boy and EastEnders. She is a regular fixture on British panel shows and was a contestant on the E4 series The Real Dirty Dancing in 2022. Verona also presented the dating series Secret Crush on ITV2.

Engaging with Professional Development Programmes for Minority Ethnic Staff
CANCELLED

The University of Brighton’s Eve Taylor-Mungai discusses her experiences of engaging with the University’s leadership development programme for minority ethnic colleagues, in the third of this year’s speaker series celebrating Black History Month.

Eve is a University of Brighton graduate and is currently a Team Leader within the School of Humanities and Social Science. She is passionate about supporting charities and ran the Brighton Half Marathon to raise funds for Sussex Community NHS Charity in 2022.

Inclusivity and equality at the University of Brighton

At our University, inclusivity is a fundamental value. We are committed to ensuring that everyone in our community feels that they truly belong. When we see inequalities around us, we must confront them. Our Race Equality Charter Award acknowledges our determination to address inequalities faced by staff and students from minority ethnic backgrounds. It showcases our clear plan for achieving lasting inclusivity. We are making progress on our priorities and addressing emerging issues based on feedback from colleagues and students. For more on our anti-racism efforts, you can visit the University’s work on anti-racism here. While there is more work ahead, we must keep working together to stand against racism and create an equitable experience for all.

Universities reflect society, but they also have the power to drive positive change. As an anti-racist university, we will keep working alongside our colleagues and students to continue to put our anti-racist intentions into action. This effort involves all of us, and we are in it together. In due course, you will have the opportunity to feed back on this through a dedicated survey – your experience matters to us.

We are committed to a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all. Harassment, abuse, sexual misconduct, or discrimination is #NeverOK. Join these conversations as we work together to uphold this goal. Let us learn about Black history, confront racism, and stand in solidarity – the essence of an anti-racist university, something we are proud to be.