Black History Month 2023: Celebrating our diverse community with Race Champion Leila Neshat Mokadem
Join us in celebrating the rich tapestry of our diverse community for Black History Month (BHM) 2023 this October! Let's Connect, Create and Celebrate together to honour the contributions and achievements of Black people throughout history. Hear from Staff Equality Champion for Race Leila Neshat Mokadem to learn more about this year's theme, exciting line-up of events and how to get involved.
Can you tell us more about this year's theme 鈥淐elebrating our diverse community: Global Citizens at 亚博体育官网 and beyond鈥�?
"We鈥檙e all citizens at a local and global level and with so many diverse races, ethnicities and nationalities represented across 亚博体育官网, we wanted to have a theme that acknowledges, reflects on, and celebrates that!
"This BHM, we want to shine a light on our Black colleagues and students in the here & now but also to reach out and celebrate our Black alumni and global partners that are having a positive impact in our region and beyond, hence the 鈥榓t 亚博体育官网 & Beyond鈥�."
What does being a global citizen mean and how does it relate to BHM?
"Being a global citizen can mean different things to different people, but can encompass our collective responsibilities to people and the planet; social justice, economic, and environmental actions we can all take to make our communities a fairer, greener and more equitable place to live and thrive.
"BHM is an opportunity to really reflect on what each of us can do in our own sphere of influence to create a more equitable space for our Black colleagues and students.
What could this be? Well, things like reaching out to staff and student Equality Champions, addressing awarding gaps for our Black students through listening to their needs and considering what equity measures we can put in place across the student journey to bridge that gap.
"It can be ensuring our curricula are more diverse, broad and with an international perspective, diversifying our reading lists, honouring the achievements of past and present Black trailblazers, critically reviewing why some groups are disproportionately represented in misconduct hearings, or welcoming more Black guest speakers and experts to our beautiful campus.
"It can also be done through being an ally, by offering to mentor a colleague for example whilst being mindful that some colleagues may not feel they can ask for mentorship, so taking the first step and creating a welcoming space. We can also do our bit to develop diverse talent pipelines and representative leadership, educating ourselves on EDI practices and cultural conversations, being more inclusive about who is invited to the table and importantly who is being heard and offered opportunities.
"Do we always include the same faces in our projects and teams? Or could we be more intentional and widen our circle to allow the lesser heard voices to feel empowered to contribute to the greater success of our university and to benefit the diverse communities that we serve?
"That said, I鈥檓 proud to see the new 亚博体育官网 plus Global Citizen programme emerging as a wonderful opportunity for staff and students to get involved in all things citizenship!"
Why did you decide to follow the framework 鈥淐onnect, Create and Celebrate鈥� for the bhm programme?
"To be meaningful, it鈥檚 important that BHM efforts for equity and inclusion go beyond just the month of October. So the framework of the 3Cs - Connect, Create, Celebrate - allows us to continue to connect with wider diverse communities, to create more equitable practices and my favourite C 鈥� celebrate - to celebrate our personal, professional and global identities, all year round.
"I would urge everyone to think about what steps they can take (however big, small or tiny!) within Connect, Create or Celebrate, this Black History Month so we can learn, take action and have some fun along the way. Every effort matters and helps us get closer to our collective university ethos of creating an equitable environment to work, study and develop as global citizens.