Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Our commitment to providing our students with an inclusive learning environment that values equality and diversity is at the heart of what we do here, at Leeds Beckett.
From our Race Equality Forum, which has been active since 2010, to our continuous participation in the Race Equality Charter Mark since 2015, we actively strive to improve the representation, progression and success of black and minority ethnic students within higher education.
Our Annual Race Lecture series, which are open to colleagues, students and the wider Leeds community, are an important part of who we are and our culture. Over the years, we have welcomed a number of speakers, including Dr Shirley Thompson speaking about our African heritage in classical music and the effort she has made to reclaim this part of our history.
We are also making significant progress to increase the diversity profile of our professoriate, both in relation to gender and ethnicity. 20.6% of our Professors identify as BAME and 3.4% of our Professors identify as Black or Black British.
Further to the above, we support the Black Lives Matter movement, within the broader recognition of our role in the fight against racism.
There is no place here for behaviour which undermines the dignity and human rights of other members of the community. None of us should adopt such behaviours. And none of us should accept or condone them. That is why I support and endorse the Zero Tolerance movement here at our university.
Our School of Education has also been leading the way since 2017, having been appointed to a new role of Race in Education: our Centre for Race, Education & Decoloniality (CRED), the first of its kind nationally, which aims to challenge everyday racism and structural race inequalities in education through research and evidence-based practice, whilst offering a number of fully funded part-time doctorates in the field.
Led by the BAME Students' Representative, the Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic community of our Students’ Union organise on behalf of Leeds Beckett students of African, Asian, Arabic, Chinese and Caribbean descent on all issues affecting BAME students.
Our student-led, #MyRacistCampus campaign is also aimed at tackling the Black Attainment Gap at Leeds Beckett University, whilst encouraging our student community to become an ally and stand up to racism by constructively challenging thoughts, perceptions and behaviours.
Our university also takes a Zero Tolerance approach to any form of harassment or discrimination, including sexual misconduct and racial harassment of any kind. This includes a simple reporting system, a first response support team, and processes to follow through with whatever action is necessary – all in place to ensure that we sustain a culture whereby individuals are able to raise concerns about bullying and harassment, confident that their issues will be dealt with appropriately, consistently, fairly and without fear of ridicule or victimisation.
