A BLOG WRITTEN BY JAPHETH MONZON
The 3rd of September 2022 marked the We Move Summit for Racial Equality and Migrants Rights, held by the Runnymede Trust at the University of Leeds. Hosting a variety of seminars, panel discussions, and networking events, the We Move Summit saw dozens of academics, policymakers, educators, and activists flock to the University of Leeds campus to discuss pressing issues surrounding racial equality and migrants’ rights. Angelique Retief (Senior Policy Officer), Chiara Lodi (Senior Research Officer), and Japheth Monzon (Project Officer) attended as representatives of the Black South West Network in order to foster life-long connections and to gather knowledge that would be of great use for the work done at BSWN. With only a day’s worth of attendance available, the three representatives elected to attend three seminars and discussions throughout the day.
From left to right, Japheth Monzon, Chiara Lodi, and Angelique Retief.
Generating Impact with Minority Ethnic Groups through Research and Research Methods
Of particular interest to BSWN’s Research department, the first event, aptly titled ‘Generating Impact with Minority Ethnic Groups through Research and Research Methods’ focussed on the uplifting the ‘voices of colour’ that reside within research institutes as well as the external voices that interact with researchers. University of Durham Chemistry undergraduates, Billie Shearman, and Alexander Harvey Reid, bravely took to the stage to present their research on the pitfalls present within their Chemistry department’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policies. Indeed, the concept of decolonising curriculums is often overlooked in the field of STEM – despite the fact that sciences have played a pivotal role in justifying racial inequality throughout the globe. These young and talented researchers proposed monthly drop-in sessions, diversity events with a wide array of guest speakers, and ‘decolonising the curriculum’ internship opportunities as possible remedies to the ailments present in STEM research. Shearman and Reid also openly invite discussions on how to further improve this project, with their email open to comments and suggestions (chem.diverse@durham.ac.uk).
Rumana Hashem, a doctoral candidate at Nottingham Trent University, powerfully explained her experiences going through academia as an immigrant and a minoritized woman. Indeed, she identifies problems within academia, particularly the valorisation of objectivism. Hashem argues that subjective perspectives should be seen as an enhancing addition to expertise, rather than negating expertise. She urges individuals to ask the same questions BSWN has been urging through its Charter for Co-Production: ‘Are these funding practices more harmful than helpful? What research methods should we practice for true humanitarian research?’ Indeed, we must assess the processes behind funding and methodologies to investigate how beneficial it is to the peoples being researched.
Dr. Dayo Eseonu brilliantly summarises her experiences in working with co-productive methodologies. She emphasises the practice of letting the community lead. Indeed, BSWN reached the same conclusions through their visioning sessions with community collaborators as part of the Research Action for Racial Equality (RACE) initiative. According to Eseonu, by letting the community lead – by letting them set the research question, decide upon methodologies, and by letting them steer the project towards the interests of their community – the imposition of positional power is minimised. Similarly, Dr. Leon Moosavi talked about the importance of decolonising methodologies in general. Through coloniality, according to Moosavi, research has been perpetuating harmful practices as ‘proper.’ In order to gain a greater grasp on the anti-colonial research paradigm, Moosavi urged the audience to learn more about what he terms the ‘predecessors’ of anti-colonial approaches – feminist methods and indigenous research.
‘Decolonising’ the Curriculum – Developing a Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Facilitated by Dr. Aminul Hoque MBE, this session can be summarised in the powerful words of his own research: a child does not leave their sociocultural worlds and identities once they enter the school gate – nor should they (Hoque, 2015; 2018). Indeed, the importance of advocating for a culturally responsive pedagogy became apparent during discussions held between attendees. A fellow attendee noted that the current education system values ‘high-value degrees’ that contribute to the “knowledge economy” more than the fostering of a child’s innate talents. Furthermore, attendees critiqued the stances of pedagogical scholars (such as Bernard Crick and Frank Furedi) who place emphasis upon ‘good citizenship’ and ‘apolitical teaching’. Certainly, ideas central to civil society – such as politics – cannot be extricated from the lived experiences of Black and Minoritised people. So, the call for a culturally responsive pedagogy roared loudly in this context – an idea premised on valuing culture as central to teaching and understanding students. To end the discussion, Hoque notes that we must push to ‘make the invisible more visible’, critiquing the current forms of power, dominant knowledge systems and mainstream educational learning contexts. For further discussion (or answers to questions), Dr. Aminul Hoque can be reached via his email at a.hoque@gold.ac.uk.
Public Sector Equality Duty: How can we use the PSED to tackle Racial Inequality in the Criminal Justice System?
The final seminar attended by BSWN’s representatives revolved around the Public Sector Equality Duty – a duty that intends to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relationships. However, one should question the efficacy of the PSED. Raucous objections to this proposition are validated by the recent Sewell Report (2021) whereby Dr. Tony Sewell – who has received criticisms for statistical cherry-picking by Cambridge post-colonial academic Priyamvada Gopal, as well as criticisms from the Muslim Council of Britain and The Guardian for incendiary homophobic comments in 1990 – concluded that the United Kingdom is not an institutionally racist country.
This brings the question if Britain is not institutionally racist, what is the driving purpose behind holding the We Move Summit? Certainly, the existence (or non-existence) of PSED itself is a demonstration of the UK’s institutional racism. The seminar attendees concluded that a wide variety of Black and Minoritised individuals are disproportionately affected by the lack of adherence to the Duty, namely: Black youth and Black men, Gypsy/Romani/Traveller communities, refugees, and homeless people. The lack of accountability by governmental institutions plays a large role in the perpetuation of discrimination throughout the public sector. As of the moment, no institution with real power is able to hold authorities accountable for their disregard of the PSED. But how can we solve this issue? Attendees suggested an emphasis on knowledge – suitably arming communities with knowledge of the PSED and its intricacies – as a means of empowering people to take matters into their own hands and to demand for cumulative and comprehensive Equality Impact Assessments.
Concluding Thoughts
The We Move Summit was an incredibly insightful and engaging event to attend. It served to validate current findings on Co-Productive research, as well as serving to further inform BSWN’s officers on current issues around racial equality and academic practices. BSWN looks forward to further participations in similar conferences.