University of Bradford receives Race Equality Charter award

The University has been awarded a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award by training provider Advance HE

The Race Equality Charter provides a framework for universities to identify and self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students.

At the heart of the University’s action plan is its ambition to become an anti-racist university by addressing systemic and structural inequalities. 

Professor Udy Archibong, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: “This is excellent news for our university. Having external validation of the work we have been doing and will continue to do is an acknowledgement of the fact that we are actively engaged in addressing issues relating to race and equality.

Professor Udy Archibong (Image: University of Bradford)

“Working with the REC has given us an important opportunity to deepen our institutional self-knowledge. The extensive engagement we have seen with it signifies an important milestone on our path to becoming an anti-racist university.”

“Achieving the award is not the end of the process, it is just the beginning.

“The REC is an opportunity for us to be innovative in our implementation of actions to address systemic racial disparities, and to work with colleagues across the University to co-create and enable a climate for inclusion where we can make our diversity count.”

Vice-Chancellor Professor Shirley Congdon added: “This award reflects our clear determination to overcome the barriers to higher education that exist for people from Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority backgrounds. This is about creating opportunities for people, regardless of their background.

“Our commitment to tackling structural inequalities has led to significant investment in our Centre for Inclusion and Diversity. Central to this is decolonising and we are taking a holistic approach that is different to other universities, by extending our endeavours well beyond the curriculum and seeking to decolonise all aspects of the University.”

Chief finance officer Andrew Lang, who is the EB advocate for Race Equality, also commented: ‘I’m delighted that the work of many colleagues across the University has been recognised with a bronze REC award.

“More important than any award though, is that we’re standing up for and delivering better race equality outcomes in all the actions we take. We’re aware we have more to do, but it's good to have independent verification that we’re on the right track.”