Being Black in the academy

Navigating higher education as a racial minority can be fraught, but for Black men and women, often the least represented minority group in an institution, the academy can be especially isolating and unwelcoming. Students, staff and academics at every career level report suffering impostor syndrome, have seen their careers stalled by conscious or unconscious bias and are often overburdened with unpaid labour on EDI initiatives. This collection of Campus resources and views provides actions that can be taken to improve diversity and belonging for Black staff and students, advice for Black academics on navigating the career ladder, tips for creating an anti-racist university and more.

A student in the library makes notes

Black students are succeeding in spite of academia, rather than because of it – we need a reset

The narrative that widening participation is enough is creating isolation and disillusionment among Black PhD students. How can universities move beyond it to empower Black academics?

William Ackah

Birkbeck, University of London

Male librarian sorting out books

Empower minority staff and students to thrive at your institution

Practical strategies to reduce representation burdens, build diverse talent pipelines and foster inclusive environments in higher education

Pallavi Banerjee

University of Exeter

Young man wearing headphones while working on a laptop

Culturally sensitive support for Black international students

Ongoing support, cultural sensitivity and strategic planning can create an environment where Black international students feel valued and empowered to succeed

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

A Black student walking around campus with books in hand

Improving the digital experience for Black international students

Strategies UK institutions should take to enable Black international students’ smooth transition into university

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Young student standign on a staircase in a library

Challenge strategic silencing to improve the experiences of global majority students

Universities have the power to create a more inclusive and empathetic world by promoting open dialogue, accountability and cultural diversity, write Christina Dzineku and Craig Mahoney

Christina Dzineku, Craig Mahoney

Independent academic, The Education Group

Student standing outside a campus building

How to build inclusive mentorship programmes for Black students

To create inclusive mentorship programmes for Black university students, we must ensure they are culturally relevant, address unique challenges and foster peer support

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Close up portrait of black woman

Finding – and raising – my voice as a Black female leader in higher education

Women of colour face a formidable set of challenges in the quest to find their place and voice in higher education. Menah Pratt shares the lessons learned in her journey – from the power of persistence to harnessing her creativity

Menah Pratt

Virginia Tech

Black female engineer working on a drone

How to help young women see themselves as coders, inventors and engineers

Female students can be overlooked in STEM fields. Janille Smith-Colin shares four ways to empower tomorrow’s engineering leaders to find their voice and the determination to use it

Janille Smith-Colin

SMU Lyle School of Engineering

black female professor working in the library

Effective levers to foster women – specifically women of colour – into leadership roles

Gender and race disparities persist in leadership roles within academic institutions. Here, Menah Pratt shares her advice on effective levers to foster women of colour into leadership roles

Menah Pratt

Virginia Tech

Black woman mentoring younger colleague

The tough road to leadership as a woman in higher education

Representation matters, writes Marcheta Evans. Here, she offers advice for institutions and educators about the life lessons they need to pass to female scholars (and one for men, too)

Marcheta P. Evans

Montclair State University

Black female academic at desk

Leaving a legacy as a Black female leader in higher education

Women of colour can leave a legacy that endures far beyond their tenures, writes Menah Pratt. Here, she shares her experience with racism and sexism and describes actions that leave a mark on institutions and students and defy under-representation

Menah Pratt

Virginia Tech

Black academic mentoring Black student

The transformative power of mentoring in historically black colleges and universities

HBCUs’ culture of generosity and community has much to offer all colleges and universities, write Marybeth Gasman and Levon T. Esters. Here, they distill their research into four key elements

Marybeth Gasman, Levon T. Esters

Rutgers University, Penn State University

Diversity concept

Celebrate Black History Year and tackle racial inequality all year long

Instead of consigning the recognition of Black histories to one single month, Deborah Husbands, Stephen Bunbury and Dibyesh Anand advocate for a Black History Year

Deborah Husbands , Stephen Bunbury, Dibyesh Anand

University of Westminster

A Black woman lecturer speaks to a university class

What we can learn from Black women academics in the UK

As a Black female lecturer, Shelley McLetchie-Holder outlines lessons she has drawn from other Black women academics working in the UK and explains how institutions can best support these staff

Shelley McLetchie-Holder

King’s College London

Black allyship in academia

Backing Black scholars: here’s how universities can do better

Yaz Osho offers nine ways that HEIs can start chipping away at the structural disadvantages and institutional practices that negatively impact Black scholars

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

A group of university staff in discussions

Action to improve diversity and inclusion for Black students and staff

Where should action to improve equity, diversity and inclusion within universities be focused in order to have a tangible impact? Christina Dzineku and Patrice Sewou explain

Christina Dzineku, Patrice Seuwou

Leeds Trinity University, University of Northampton

Advice for black and minority ethnic academics who are trying to make their way on the higher education career ladder

Fool’s gold: career advice for young, Black academics

Freshly minted professor Jason Arday provides tips for aspiring Black and ethnic minority academics on how to safeguard themselves on the hazardous journey to the top

Jason Arday

University of Glasgow

Is your university taking diversity seriously?

How to tell if your university is making a genuine effort to increase diversity

There is zero doubt that bias pervades the HE system. Universities need to show they are taking it as seriously as they take publication and other key performance areas

Keon West

Goldsmiths, University of London

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: how to navigate HE as a woman of colour

To mark International Women’s Day, we spoke with two female academics about their journey through higher education and the biases and assumptions they have overcome

Henrika McCoy, Didar Zowghi

University of Texas at Austin, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Image of people of different ethnicities joining hands in a heart shape

What will your anti-racist university look like?

Universities continue to make bold commitments to stamp out racism and promote equity, diversity and inclusion, but what does it mean in practice to be an anti-racist university?

Arun Verma

University of Dundee

A black student raising their hand in class.

Ten actions lecturers can take to boost black students’ belonging

A 10-step guide to how lecturers can improve the experience of black students studying in predominantly white institutions

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Questions to ask to examine your own role in perpetuating racism in higher education and what steps to take

Questions you should ask yourself about your role in institutional racism

Questions individuals working in academia should ask themselves to gain an honest appraisal of their role in institutional racism and take active steps to counteract it, by Henrika McCoy and Madeline Y. Lee

Henrika McCoy, Madeline Lee

University of Illinois Chicago, California State University San Marcos

Kendrick Lamar's lyrics contain EDI lessons for higher education

Why higher education should take an EDI lesson from Kendrick Lamar

The Pulitzer-winning rapper’s disdain for performative activism contains lessons for universities who espouse their good intentions rather than enact change

JT Torres

Quinnipiac University

Black bereavement leave in higher education

Where’s our Black bereavement leave?

Higher education routinely ignores the emotional needs of Black faculty and staff, particularly after traumatic events, and it’s time for that to change, says Angel Jones

Angel Jones

Southern Illinois University

Peer mentoring at university can make a difference to student confidence

As a black, female student, I wish I’d had a peer-mentoring scheme

Asking more experienced students to volunteer to help first-years navigate their university journey can make all the difference in terms of belonging and confidence

Bernadine Idowu

University of West London

Advice on purposefully creating a sense of belonging among black students in majority white universities

How to create a sense of belonging for black students in a majority white academy

Taking active, practical and nuanced approaches to ensuring the belonging of black students in majority white universities, at a micro and macro level, is everyone’s responsibility, explains Edith Lewis

Edith Lewis

Canterbury Christ Church University

Black male student smiling at the camera from his desk

Ten actions to improve the experiences of Black students within UK universities

Patrice Seuwou outlines 10 steps UK universities can take to achieve greater transparency and fairness for Black students

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: an interview with Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M

The first African American president of Brown University, Simmons speaks about her pioneering work to research Brown’s historical links to slavery, the future of affirmative action, and how to get more people that look like her into university leadership

Campus team

Campus

Advice on supporting academics to engage with equity and diversity issues as part of their teaching

Making space for academic colleagues to think about race as part of pedagogy

Kevin Brazant shares tips on how to use digital content creation to deconstruct themes of equality, diversity and inclusion with colleagues and inform their learning and teaching practice

Kevin Brazant

London Metropolitan University

Advice on supporting Black women to progress in academic careers

Hidden in plain sight: spotlighting invisible Black female academics

Jummy Okoya outlines actions higher education institutions should take to encourage more Black women into academia and support their career progression

Jummy Okoya

University of East London

Universities need bigger and better data on the promotions process

The promotion process needs bigger, better data if we’re to make it fairer

Enough of the tiny sample sizes at institutional level – if we want to identify the issues that hold back careers, we need sector-wide figures and cooperation

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University