Library News

Decolonising DMU Launch event

Decolonising DMU Launch event

8/11/19

The Venue

Decolonising DMU was launched (8/11/9) in The Venue at an event attended by almost 200 academic and professional services staff. The project Decolonising DMU has grown out of the evaluation and work of the DMU Freedom to Achieve project which has reduced the DMU BAME Attainment gap by 5% to 8.6%. To continue this work and ultimately close the attainment gap it is necessary to go beyond the curriculum, to involve the whole of the institution, to look at who teaches, how students are represented, to look at the narratives, resources, images, processes and environment of the University, to decolonise and ensure all of our University community are reflected in the whole University.

As part of the launch, members of the decolonising team spoke of their plans for the Decolonising DMU journey including representation from our “fifth faculty” Library and Learning Services. Kaye Towlson, spoke of the need to decolonise our collection, to understand how students of colour use our spaces and services informing the development of culturally aware spaces. Library and Learning Services are engaging with the professional call to “Workforce diversity, promoting BAME staff involvement with the Cilip BAME network, looking at staff development and ways of creating a pipeline for new and existing BAME staff to encourage people of colour into the profession.

As part of the Decolonising DMU project the series of “Team talks” and “read to debate” sessions will continue to offer a safe space for staff to share good practice, discuss relevant issues, reports and reflect on research and its relevance and meaning for our LLS service and practice.

External speakers Afua Hirsch, writer, broadcaster, former barrister and author of Brit-(ish): on race, identity and belonging) and Rob Neil, leading activist and public voice on race equality, Founder member of the Ministry of Justice’s BAME staff Network (2001), spoke of their own personal journeys and pressed the essential nature of the decolonising process for Higher Education.

DMU students Charmaine Marufu, Gabriel Otim-Oyet, Evan Duru and Diya Rattanpal spoke to Mark Prescod about their life journeys to DMU, transformative experiences of Freedom to Achieve initiatives and the need for and power of honest and open conversations about race. 

Simon Oldroyd, Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor reflected on the experience of DMU BAME students in their academic and social lives at DMU and emphasised the importance and impact of the Decolonising DMU project.

The Decolonising DMU Team with guest speakers Afua Hirsch and Rob Neil

The whole event was opened and closed by Kaushika Patel, Interim PVC for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Dean of the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Project Director for Freedom to Achieve and Decolonising DMU, expressing the background and the need for Decolonising DMU.