Leeds Trinity University is the first and only University in Yorkshire to have achieved the Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze award. The Bronze award means that we have acknowledged, identified, and developed an action plan to address institutional and structural racial inequities that disadvantage our students and staff of colour. Later this month, we will host our third Race, Equity and Social Justice conference where this year the theme focuses on decoloniality and the impact of colonisation.

With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of colour, race and racism are a part of public conversations and integrated so much into our world. We know in our University, the higher education sector and society that people of colour do not benefit equitably to their White counterparts. This conference will highlight the inequities that exist in education, health and socio-economic opportunities in our region and beyond and the importance of collaboration across sectors to eliminate racism. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist University and embedding racial equity at all levels. This conference is part of our race equity work to enable us to hold our University to account and ensure that statements made by the University and our senior management are translated into action.

Decoloniality is the mindset or thinking towards Eurocentricity such as cultural practices, religions, language and Eurocentric education that remains in society after decolonisation (Trembath, 2021). This unique conference will bring in anti-racist leaders from the Leeds City region and beyond, including international contributors. The keynote speakers will be discussing the importance of creating safe spaces for courageous conversations, the benefits of collaborating to eliminate racism, using research to create equity and drive forward social justice, the importance of co-creating with students, and exploring the intersectionality between ethnicity and gender. There will be a round table discussion in which leaders of different sectors in the Leeds City region will discuss the challenges in collaborating to address inequity in education, health and socio-economic opportunities and outcomes.

This conference will enable uncomfortable conversations to take place in a safe environment and give voices to the silenced. It is a call to action and will equip everyone with the knowledge and language to call out racism in all its forms. 

Race, Equity and Social Justice: Decoloniality of the Academy will take place online on Thursday 24 March, from 9.00am – 4.15pm. For more information about the conference, register for your place here.

Shames Maskeen is Operational Lead for the Race Equality Charter and Postgraduate Researcher (PhD) at Leeds Trinity University. He has organised this year’s conference with Dr Nadira Mirza.