Queen Mary University of London Wins First Race Equality Charter Award
This achievement recognises the University’s work in progressing race equality as an institutional priority.
The REC is a trusted, evidence-based framework designed to identify, investigate, and dismantle barriers faced by Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students and staff in Higher Education. It provides independent scrutiny of the University’s efforts to improve equality, and aligns with its values and people, culture, and inclusion work.
A Bronze Award signifies that Queen Mary has built a solid foundation for addressing and eliminating racial inequalities while fostering an inclusive culture that values every member of its community.
Speaking on winning the award, Dr Philippa Lloyd, Vice Principal Policy and Strategic Partnerships at Queen Mary said: “Our commitments to progress race equality are key in our ambition to become the most inclusive university of our kind, anywhere, and this award recognises our progress in this area, which is an institutional priority. Following this, we will continue to listen to the voices of our diverse community of students and staff to make even more progress”.
Since becoming members in 2018, achieving this accreditation has been a multi-year journey for Queen Mary, including assessing where the University is as an institution through the self-assessment and developing an action plan to drive change.
Work that has contributed to receiving this award includes continued increased representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff in middle and senior levels, piloting the Equal Merit Toolkit to address underrepresentation of diverse academics in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and establishing ‘The Black Justice Project’ in the Legal Advice Clinic within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Speaking on the award, Dr Georgina Hosang a co-chair of the Race Equality Action Group, said, “My lived experience as a mixed race female academic has fuelled my passion for race equity and career goal to support people from a similar background to my own to fulfil their academic potential and career aspirations. I commend Queen Mary, University of London for creating a space to challenge the status quo and look forward to building a roadmap of change to make the path less arduous for the next generation to thrive.”
The work on the REC and institutional action plan to address racial inequalities at the University has been spearheaded by our Race Equality Action Group (REAG) co-chaired by Alex Prestage, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Dr Georgina Hosang, Reader in Mental Illness & Chronic Diseases.