People

Gavin Mensah-Coker

Associate Professor in English Language (Sussex Centre for Language Studies)

I've been teaching English Language at Sussex since 2016, but was a History student here in 1992 so my connection with the university is pretty deep. Officially, my current role is Interim Head of English Language and Intercultural Communication, so I don't teach much at present. My current scholarship concerns the experiences of students of colour with neurodiverse conditions.

I've been involved with Black at Sussex since the outset when we first began talking about celebrating our Black alumni, and have been Chair since August 2024. My continued involvement is because I want to see a time when our Black students feel truly at home at Sussex, and that means Sussex changing in ways that make it more inclusive.

Email: g.l.mensah-coker@sussex.ac.uk

Bud Johnston

I joined as Project Lead in September 2024 after finding out about the initiative through my work with other organisations. I was born and raised in Sussex and have been involved with anti-Black racism activism and community building for a number of years. Connecting the dots with Black at Sussex felt like the perfect fit. Additionally I work as a Social and Environmental Consultant and lead on two local grassroots organisations - The Black Anti-Racism Community Organisation CIC and Men of Melanin, a support group for men of colour.

Email: bud.johnston@sussex.ac.uk

Laura Beckett

I work as a course coordinator in the school of Law, Politics and Sociology and am a Sussex alumni. I have also recently graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a Master's degree in Human Rights, Culture and Social Justice.

I am half Black Caribbean, but grew up in a mostly white rural area, where there was a severe lack of black representation. I have become increasingly invested in issues of race and social justice, and the importance of highlighting diverse Black experiences. My hope for the project is to increase recognition of the Black community at Sussex and expand representation across the University.

Email: lb497@sussex.ac.uk

Irene Fubara-Manuel

I am an Associate Professor in Digital Media Practice in the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities. I research the development of technologies from colonial contexts, tracing their histories into our contemporary technoculture. As a practitioner, I also produce media artefacts (animation and games) that unpack these histories and imagine alternatives. My work builds on the wealth of knowledge created by Black scholars and creative practitioners. I became a member of the Black at Sussex Steering committee to contribute to the community of Black scholars here. I hope that this initiative can welcome more future Black academics into Sussex.

Email: I.Fubara-Manuel@sussex.ac.uk

Dr Sindi F. Gordon

Sindi is an educator, researcher, filmmaker, and consultant rethinking classrooms through holistic, transformative learning. She founded Changing the Face of Consultancy at Sussex Business School, merging social justice with sustainable impact. At the African Leadership University in Rwanda, she created learning environments that embrace multiple knowledge systems, identities, and histories.

A former filmmaker, she produced Matters of Race (USA) and was a producer for SABC’s FOCUS in South Africa, interviewing President Mandela. She coordinated film programs in Zimbabwe, Angola, and Mozambique and founded Women of the Sun to support women in film. Health and well-being are central to her work, leading decompression workshops for the Co-Power Research Project and collaborating with the University of Cape Town on alternative research methodologies.

Email: S.F.Gordon@sussex.ac.uk

Dr Jenny Hewitt

Dr Jenny Hewitt is a freelance school tutor and researcher at the University of Sussex with extensive experience in youth research, community engagement, and socio-political issues. As a Steering Committee Member for Black at Sussex, she brings her deep commitment to addressing structural inequalities and advancing the university's diversity agenda. With a DPhil in Sociology from Sussex, and a background in leading impactful research, including on the intersection of race, activism, and education, Dr. Hewitt is motivated by a desire to create inclusive spaces for Black students and staff. Her work in academia and the community is driven by a passion for social justice and youth empowerment.

Email: jh544@sussex.ac.uk

Erin James

My first interaction with Sussex was as the 2023 Stuart Hall Fellow, where I created my project "The Live Archive" that looked at creative and decolonial methods of archiving. I also created a number of research based poems that were added to the curriculum of the modules I audited.

Currently, I am studying a Masters in Media Practice for Development and Social Change. Sussex, like many academic institutions, does not always feel like the place to thrive for Black students or staff. I want to part of programmes like Black at Sussex so that Black students and staff are the ones making the decisions about how to decolonise and diversify their university. I want to see more financial and cultural support for Black students and staff, and I want the next generation of Black students to know there's people looking out for them.

Email: ej317@sussex.ac.uk

Dylan Musuasua

I am a 3rd year undergraduate student studying Banking and Digital Finance. Additionally I am the president of the Afro Caribbean Society. I’m excited to be on the committee representing the voice of the student body but also because I believe Black excellence should be cultivated, celebrated and a standard at Sussex. I want to help foster a space and a community for all of this to be possible.

Email: dm619@sussex.ac.uk

Kylie Okoro

I am an Assistant Library Officer in the Library, Culture and Heritage Division of the University of Sussex. I am also a Master's graduate and Sussex alum of the School of Life Sciences. Having experienced Sussex from two different perspectives, I have witnessed all the benefits it can provide for some. I want to be a part of making Sussex a place where black students and staff can flourish, which aligns with my interests in intersectional feminism and black liberation.

Email: K.Okoro@sussex.ac.uk

Jada Orlebar-Earle

Hi everyone, I'm Jada (she/her) and the Diversity, Access and Participation Officer for the University of Sussex Students' Union. My job is essentially representing all students from minority backgrounds ensuring their opinions and needs are heard.

I'm involved with BAS to try and create further spaces for Black students to build community and feel seen. It's so easy to feel isolated on this campus when you can't find people who share your identity. It seems you have to actively find groups to be part of; I hope that BAS makes that a little bit easier for students to do.

Email: jada.o@sussexstudent.com

Fezile Sibanda

Fezile Sibanda (she/her) is a Doctoral Researcher and Tutor in Education at the University of Sussex, funded in partnership with the Stuart Hall Foundation. Her research explores race, coloniality, and higher education, with a focus on the lived experiences of Black Brit-ish academics. Grounded in her commitment to social justice, Fezile is dedicated to amplifying the voices of those often silenced in academic spaces. Through her work, she seeks to promote anti-racist and anti-oppressive praxis, through challenging the current structures within academia. This is something she does within her role within the steering committee at Black at Sussex.

Email: F.Sibanda@sussex.ac.uk

Hannah Wallace

My current role is Head of Student Engagement and Enhancement here at the University of Sussex. I lead the team who support marginalised student communities through the interventions articulated in our Access and Participation Plan (APP). My approach at the university is to work collaboratively bringing people together to support the deepening of their understanding of the APP work.

Outside of work, I am engaged in a voluntary capacity as Trustee and EDI Advisor for Charleston Trust in Sussex and as founder of a Community Activist group of women in Brighton and Hove.

Email: Hannah.Wallace@sussex.ac.uk