David Ruebain, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion) wrote to all staff on Thursday 20 March. You can read his message in full:

Dear Colleague,

Few of us can have avoided noticing the blizzard of initiatives, executive orders and policy changes happening in the US since January. Amongst those changes has been a focus on ceasing and defunding DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives, especially in universities. Often, this has been characterised as being in support of freedom of speech. I have been asked whether these developments may impact our commitments to EDI and to freedom of speech and I wanted to restate our undiminished commitment to both. We will continue to drive EDI and freedom of speech in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations, our foundational and strategic commitments and our governing instruments.

This month, I’d like to talk about:

• Race Equality Charter update: strengthening mentoring for career progression
• Understanding different forms of racism and religious discrimination
• New Black at Sussex webpages
• Black Brilliance BizFest, 26 March
• Taking part in the LGBTQ+ staff Pride at Sussex exhibition
• Promoting dignity and respect at Sussex with EDI e-learning
• Listening to lived experiences workshops, 21 and 28 March
• Open Listening workshops, 26 March and 7 May
• Inclusivity Week at Sussex, 31 March-4 April
• Festival of Ideas exhibition: Disabled Narratives - From our Perspective, 10 April

Race Equality Charter update: strengthening mentoring for career progression

Mentoring has been identified as a key area of focus in supporting career development and leadership aspirations at Sussex, particularly for women and racially minoritised staff. We have a range of schemes and guidance to support formal and informal mentoring including a recently launched reciprocal mentoring project with the University of Ghana and this ongoing work supports the aims in our Race Equality Charter (REC) and Athena Swan action plans.

We would like to expand access to mentoring across the University and if you’re interested in becoming a mentor, please do consider applying. Everyone has valuable insights to offer, regardless of role level. Likewise, if you are looking for a mentor to support your development, opportunities are available. Find out more on our mentoring webpages.

Understanding different forms of racism and religious discrimination

As previously outlined, we have commenced a project to build understanding of different forms of racism and related oppressions, including anti-Palestinian racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia/anti-Muslim discrimination. Alongside publication of Dr Zahira Jaser's article on anti-Palestinian racism last term, the recent In Conversation event with Professor Gary Younge explored the distinct nature of anti-Black racism and antisemitism. I will also be meeting with the Religion and Belief Forum to discuss the working paper formalising our approach to the project. Over the coming months, we will continue to explore ways of surfacing understanding and I will share further updates in due course as this work develops.

New Black at Sussex webpages

The Black at Sussex programme aims to improve the experience of Black students and staff at Sussex. Do visit our newly updated webpages to read more about the programme, meet the people leading the Black at Sussex project, and find out how to propose an idea or get involved. The webpage also celebrates some of our Black alumni and shares useful information about organisations offering products and services for Black and Global Majority people (of African, Asian, indigenous, Latin American, or mixed-heritage backgrounds, who constitute around 85 percent of the global population) in Sussex.

Black Brilliance BizFest, 26 March

Bud Johnston, Black at Sussex Project Manager and Gavin Mensah-Coker, Chair of Black at Sussex and Interim Head of English Language & Intercultural Communication, will be joining influential business leaders and alumni at an upcoming student event, Black Brilliance BizFest, on 26 March. Offering the opportunity for students to network and explore personal brand development, the event will spotlight Black excellence at Sussex and across the wider community. Please share details of the session with any students who may be interested.

Taking part in the LGBTQ+ staff Pride at Sussex exhibition

During Pride Month in June, a Pride at Sussex photography and writing exhibition in the Library will aim to reflect the experiences of LGBTQ+ staff at Sussex. The project, which will feature portraits taken by our University photographer, is led by James Ward-Lee, Chair of the Trans and Non-Binary Staff Network with a working group from the LGBTQ+ Self-Assessment Team. We are encouraging LGBTQ+ staff in all job roles to consider taking part, as the project seeks to represent a diverse range of identities and experiences. Submissions are open until Friday 4 April and photography sessions will be scheduled throughout April and early May. Find out more and take part.

Promoting dignity and respect at Sussex with EDI e-learning

We have a wide range of EDI e-learning courses on LearnUpon designed to support you in your work and your personal development, whilst helping to build a culture of dignity and respect at the University. In addition to the mandatory training for staff, there is a broad range of courses on LearnUpon which typically take less than an hour to complete. They include Introduction to Race Equity, our anti-racism e-learning course, developed with Advance HE, which explores microaggressions, privilege, and systemic racism. Please do consider signing up for this course and support a more inclusive community.

Listening to lived experiences workshops, 21 and 28 March

Early career researchers and postgraduate researchers are invited to attend two events in March aiming to raise awareness and explore how to be more inclusive in the workplace. Listening and Overcoming Barriers workshop from 1pm-3pm tomorrow, 21 March is a creative and art-based workshop for those who wish to build sensitivity in their work/research culture and show support for under-represented colleagues. A creative expressions evening from 4pm-7pm on 28 March is an open mic/exhibition event for those who wish to share their experiences through spoken word, written stories and photographs. If you would like to perform, present or display, please email Mitakshara Mehdi at: m.medhi@sussex.ac.uk by tomorrow, 21 March.

Open Listening workshops - 26 March and 7 May

Don’t miss Open Listening workshops coming up for staff who would like an introduction to learning how to better work effectively with conflict and so build stronger relationships based on respecting differences. No experience is necessary for these sessions, which will explore conflict theory and provide opportunities to practice open listening. Find out more and book your place.

Inclusivity Week at Sussex, 31 March-4 April

Barriers and biases embedded in higher education can contribute to awarding gaps for minoritised people. Inclusive curricula can help dismantle those barriers and Inclusivity Week at Sussex provides a platform for our academics and students to share their inclusive teaching practices and resources and encourage broader adoption across the University. Along with Neurodiversity Celebration Week underway at the moment, our Inclusivity Week programme offers the opportunity to find out more about how we are building inclusive teaching and assessment. Book your place at some of these insightful sessions if you can.

Festival of Ideas exhibition: Disabled Narratives - From our Perspective, 10 April

Media, Arts and Humanities student Matilda Barrowman (2nd year, Creative Writing) is leading an upcoming immersive exhibition created by disabled students and staff, providing insight into the reality of living with a disability. Including poetry, prose, artefacts and audio-visual media, the event aims to challenge and disrupt ideas of what it means to be disabled. To be held at the Attenborough Centre, the exhibition will have a range of accessibility measures to support anyone to attend and take part. Text will be accessible through braille and screen reader compatible versions. Following a private viewing from 12 noon-1pm, an audio described ‘tour and touch’ tour will run from 1pm to 2pm. There is also a British Sign Language (BSL) tour from 2.15pm-3.15pm after which it will be open to the general public from 3.15pm-5pm. Find out more.

And finally, the Jewish holiday of Passover begins on Saturday 12 April and runs until Sunday April 20. As a major Jewish holiday some students and staff may be observing a restricted diet or may be absent periodically. As mentioned in last month’s update, some Muslim members of the community may also be observing Ramadan by fasting and praying, and Eid al-Fitr is expected to be celebrated on 30 or 31 March. Meanwhile, Christians on campus will be celebrating Easter weekend next month, from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 April. Some students may be fasting, while other may be taking part in religious services on Good Friday. Chag Pesach Sameach to our Jewish community, Eid Mubarak to our Muslim community and a happy Easter to all who are celebrating.

With good wishes,   

David Ruebain    
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Culture, Equality and Inclusion)

Underway and coming up: 

• Sign Language Week, 17-23 March
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 March
• Pay gap data publication, by 30 March
• International Transgender Day of Visibility, 31 March
• Shine a Light: Student Voices on Autism event, 2 April
• International Asexuality Day, 6 April
• Stephen Lawrence Day, 22 April
• Lesbian Visibility Day, 26 April

Further religious days and observances:

• Vaisakhi (Sikh), 14 April (some students may be absent to attend gurdwaras)

Further information about upcoming awareness days will be shared on the Staff Hub.

This work supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal: SDG 10 (reduced inequalities). You can read more about our work on the SDGs.