October marks the beginning of Black History Month, a time to come together to recognise, learn and celebrate the influence and contribution of our Black members. 

 

We have been working with MDXSU Black Students, African & Caribbean Society, SHAREDIN, Amnesty International, and MDX FM to put on events and create spaces for them to share their history and experiences with the Middlesex community. 

 

We’re excited to introduce loads of activity throughout October and hope that you will use this opportunity to learn more about the influence and impact the Black community has had on society today. Click Here to see what's happening this Black History Month

Educate, Support, Inspire, Lead - attend talks about the history of Afro Hair, discussions around being Black working in healthcare and tons more open conversations! There’s also a chance for you to get involved in the following events: 

Interested? Click Here to see how you can get involved!

 

We also want to use this opportunity to assess our accountability as an organisation and as your Students’ Union - our accountability to you, the student community. It’s only appropriate that we reflect on our work and review what we have done following our statement in June in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests  

• Develop a comprehensive framework for 'decolonising our curriculum'
• Improve Black representation at the University and MDXSU 
• Campaign to improve the University reporting system of racist incidents

We have secured £4,000 from the University to support our work and fund the recruitment of two research interns. One of these interns will be involved in our commitment to conduct research into the Black Students’ experience at MDX and create a report that includes a list of recommendations for Middlesex university and for the Students’ Union's work. The report will be published on our website to ensure there is public accountability leading to consistent improvement.   

 

Our other intern will research into ‘decolonising the curriculum’, informed by the Black Attainment Gap report from the NUS. Decolonising the curriculum is essential to ensuring that the learning experience is reflective of our students’ lives at MDX. We hope to develop a matrix for the University to meet with all their current courses and new courses, and in doing so, work towards closing the Black Attainment Gap.  

 

We’re also reviewing the reporting processes in place for students to report racist incidents to Middlesex University. We strongly believe that being heard, supported and feeling safe on campus is essential to an outstanding learning experience. Therefore, seeing justice in the University processes and ensuring that they deliver on sanctions is essential. We will consult with the University to ensure that their processes are led by sector guidance and is informed and supportive of students.  

 

Black History Month offers an opportunity to educate ourselves on a history that is not part of the mainstream. Using this time to educate ourselves and each other will lift Black voices and teach us how to be active and not performative allies in this global movement against racism and state-sponsored violence. Let’s kick off what will be a journey of long-standing anti-racist work for our communities! 

 

As we begin what will be a month of immense celebration of the wealth, contributions, and history of our Black community we remain reflective and vigilant of our practices as an organisation and community, ensuring they remain anti-racist and honour our pledges made in June. We will continue working towards a decolonised campus at MDX to ensure that our Black students feel safe, fully supported and represented by MDXSU.