Research

WHITE ALLIES

We are interested in hearing from people of colour about their views of white allyship.

The aim of the research is to identify the characteristics and motivations of white allies in order to support those colleagues who are earlier on in their journey but are keen to learn how to be actively anti-racist.

 We are interested in hearing from:

*** those from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds (UK) and those who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Colour (US) who

*** have worked in their sector or area of specialism for at least 10 years

 
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and responses are confidential.

UK colleagues, please click here to start. 

US colleagues, please click here to start.

The deadline for responses has been extended to Monday 12 July 2021.

If you have any questions about this research, please email whitealliesproject@gmail.com 

Thank you in advance for your time.

BLACK FEMALE PROFESSORS

In 2018, there were just 25 Black British female Professors in UK universities – the smallest group of Professors in terms of both race and gender. A new report entitled ‘Staying Power’ by Dr Nicola Rollock, the first study of its kind in the UK, delves into the experiences and challenges of this virtually invisible group of women.

Commissioned by the University and College Union (UCU), Staying Power reveals the culture of bullying and stereotyping forcing black academics to work harder and employ mentally draining strategies just to survive their daily roles and responsibilities.

When Dr. Rollock’s report released in February 2019, it was met with nationwide interest and brought with it a new and shocking spotlight on race within higher education.

The research findings were covered across education and mainstream media including The Guardian, Times Higher Educational Supplement, The Voice and the high end fashion magazine Vogue. The lifestyle magazine Stylist also carried a special feature on Black female academics and self-care based on Dr Rollock’s research.

In 2019, Dr Rollock commissioned the photographer Bill Knight to take portraits of the UK’s Black female professors. The exhibition - entitled Phenomenal Women - aims to challenge perceptions of what a professor looks like, to highlight the intersectionality of race and gender and, to showcase the achievements of this under-represented group of academics. The exhibition includes Black female scholars who were professors at a UK higher education institution at some point between 2016 and 2019. The private view of Phenomenal Women took place at the law firm Paul Hastings in March 2020.

PROJECT LAUNCH - The launch of Staying Power took place on Monday 4 February 2019 at the Reading Room, Wellcome Trust, London. Welcoming remarks were made by Dr Simon Chaplin (Wellcome Trust) and Angela Nartey (UCU) gave closing comments: