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For staff

 

Resources and actions to tackle racial inequality and an invitation to an event reflecting on the University's race equality charter action plan.

Dear colleagues,  

In November 2019, the University's commitment to address systemic racism was acknowledged with an Advance HE Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze award. The University’s REC submission openly acknowledged that there are serious issues that we need to tackle, and we are addressing these through the institutional three-year REC action plan and many other important initiatives led by students and staff.  

We are now over a year into the implementation of our race equality action plan, which is an appropriate point to reflect on what has been achieved so far – and what remains to be done. To this end we are holding a special event: 'Race Equality Charter: one year on' (Tuesday 26 January, 13.00-14.00, via Zoom).    

The event will feature reflections from:  

  • The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope
  • Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional and International Relations, Professor Eilís Ferran
  • University Race Equality Champions, Dr Mónica Moreno Figueroa and Dr Kamal Munir
  • BAME Staff Network Chairs, Dr Rabia Dada-Oughton and Professor Franklin Aigbirhio.  

All staff are warmly invited to attend. You can book a place online.

There are a number of ways to support initiatives addressing systemic racism at the University, and each of us can contribute: this is not just for those in HR or management roles nor for BAME staff and students. A good starting point is to read about the University’s race equality action plan, or take a moment to update your ethnicity/race information on Employee Self Service (see details below). A range of other positive actions and useful resources is listed below and there is more information on the University's race equality website.

Cambridge aspires to be a global leader in defending equality and fostering inclusion but we recognize that there is still more to do. It is only through the collective and concerted effort of all members of the community, supported by strong leadership, that we can bring about the change necessary to succeed in our mission. This will enable us to create a more diverse and dynamic environment in which people of all racial groups can experience the full richness of University life, supported by a strong sense of belonging.   

These are deeply challenging times, as we all navigate the unprecedented pressures that the pandemic is putting on both our work and home lives. The work of fostering equality and tackling racism will help create a better future for all of us and should be a key part of a culture where all our colleagues and students are valued equally. However, engaging with the resources below should not be a source of extra stress at an already stressful time but be thought of as the groundwork necessary to set up a fair and enriching working environment, so please do so when you have the time and capacity.  

Best wishes,  

Professor Eilís FerranPro-Vice-Chancellor for Institutional and International Relations  

Dr Mónica Moreno FigueroaDepartment of Sociology and University Race Equality Champion  

Dr Kamal MunirJudge Business School and University Race Equality Champion  

 
Resources and actions

1. Record race/ethnicity via Employee Self Service (ESS) 
Please check if you have filled out the 'sensitive information' section in the Employee Self Service with regard to ethnicity/race. While voluntary, it provides very valuable data that helps the University to identify and address systemic racism (and other forms of discrimination) more effectively. This data is only used in aggregated/anonymised form. Note: when logging into ESS, please use your CRSId only (eg fjc55) as your username and not your full email address.

2. Read about the University’s race equality action plan 
The online booklet Race Equality: A Plan for Action is an accessible summary of the University’s REC submission, including identified issues and planned actions to tackle institutional racism.  
  
3. Use the Diverse Recruitment Framework 
The new Diverse Recruitment Framework contains simple and practical advice for adjusting recruitment processes to encourage a more diverse range of applicants and appointments.  

4. Take a training course 
All employees are required to undertake training on equality and diversity: please do check if you have completed this training. If you have not taken it, please engage with it as it is a great space to think about the part we all have to play in building a fairer university. Even if you have completed the training, it is worth taking again periodically to refresh and update your knowledge. The University also offers other relevant online sessions, including Understanding Implicit Bias and Race Awareness. View full details and booking information. 
  
5. Read the End Everyday Racism report  
‘End Everyday Racism’ (EER) is an independent research project developed at the University’s Department of Sociology. The project aims to develop our understanding of everyday racism in order to build a collective case to support antiracism advocacy and social justice activism at the University and further afield. Read the full report
  
6. Read about good practice in tackling racism in universities 
Universities UK (UUK) recently published a new set of recommendations to tackle racism along with a set of case studies to share good practice. Cambridge’s University Diversity Fund (UDF) scheme and one of the UDF-funded projects – the ‘Anti-racism in Pedagogy’ workshop – are included in the case studies.