The Global Majority Staff Network at the University of Wolverhampton has been established for all staff employed by the University of Wolverhampton that identify themselves as BME regardless of grade, job type or contract length. The network is guided in it’s action by the Terms of Reference that have been agreed by members previously and are updated on a regular basis.

Flexibility in our approach is key to ensure that all staff who wish to be actively involved have an opportunity to do so. This includes those colleagues who work shift patterns and colleagues based at different campuses of the University. For this purpose meetings are held both at Walsall and City campus and at different times during the day.

The network is for any University of Wolverhampton Staff that identify themselves as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (including International staff). Other staff members that do not identify themselves as Global Majority may also request to become a former ally of the Staff Network. Please note that membership of this network remains CONFIDENTIAL.

Our aim as a group is to celebrate and increase awareness about ethnic and cultural diversity at the University of Wolverhampton and allow for a forward progression on the equality agenda by supporting the formulation and implementation of equality and diversity policies, in relation to race (including ethnic and national origin), religion and belief.

The group aims to support its members in various ways including through:

• Invitation to meetings to discuss various equality and diversity policy matters
• Offer of one-to-one confidential guidance with a network officer to discuss specific issues
• Providing information to members on Equality and diversity policies
• Invitation to various events to celebrate diversity
• Encourage reflective thinking on Equality and diversity
• Drop in surgeries for sharing experiences with colleagues

If you wish to do more than just attend meetings, additional help is always welcome. Please e-mail g.m.staffnetwork@wlv.ac.uk explaining how you wish to offer your assistance. One of the network officers will then get in touch to discuss further.

To remain a member of the network attending meetings is not a requirement. Since this is your network, we hope that that we will be able to catch up with you at least once a year! We will aim to advise you of meetings with as much advance notice as possible to plan your diary accordingly.

Global Majority Staff Network Library 

The Global Majority Staff Network Library has been established with the LIS where members can access books written around race. Please see below the list of books available for your perusal.

• Speaking Out Against Racism in the University Space, Book by Shirin Housee, Published in 2018 

• This Will Be My Undoing, Book by Morgan Jenkins, Published in 2018

• Inside the Ivory Tower, Book by Deborah Gabriel and Shirley Anne Tate, Published in 2017       

• Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race, Book by Reni Eddo-Lodge, Published in 2017

• We Were Eight Years In Power, Book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Published in 2017

• Caste In Sri Lanka And Intervention By The Left – The Story Of Kamala Ratnaveli, Book by Kumari Jayawardena, Published in 2017

• 100 Greatest Black Britons by Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne

If you are interested in reading these books, there are resources available in the Harrison Learning Centre.

Please see the following articles and reports which may be of interest to you.

• UUK urges action to tackle racial inequalities - 2020https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Pages/tackling-racial-harassment-in-higher-education.aspx 
• Universities must do more to tackle ethnic disparity – 2019 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universities-must-do-more-to-tackle-ethnic-disparity
• Universities must listen more closely to their BAME staff and students - 2019 https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/08/universities-must-listen-more-closely-to-their-bame-staff-and-students
• Ethnic minority academics earn less than white colleagues – 2018 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-46473269
• Racism at university: Inquiry launched by UK’s equality body – 2018
• Royal Historical Society’s Race, Ethnicity and Equality in UK History - 2018 https://royalhistsoc.org/racereport/

The October 2018 Royal Historical Society’s Race, Ethnicity & Equality in UK History report found that:

• BME pupils are less likely than their peers to choose History in examinations and university applications
• Only 11% of History students come from BME backgrounds
• Among UK-national staff, 96.1% of university historians are White
• One third of BME respondents to the RHS survey reported witnessing discrimination or abuse of colleagues and/or students based on race or ethnicity during their academic employment
• 5% of BME respondents reported having experienced such discrimination themselves

• Network for Black Professionals: The Network for Black Professionals is a social justice, not-for-profit organisation committed to supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) professional to achieve their full career and civic potential. 
• Black British Academics: An independent organisation working proactively to support staff and students of colour.
• EHRC: The independent statutory body established to help eliminate discrimination, reduce inequality protect human rights.
• ECU: Equality Challenge Unit works to further and support equality and diversity for staff and students in higher education across the UK and in colleges in Scotland

• Hugh Muir, The Guardian Newspaper: Hugh Muir is the Guardian's diary editor. He has also written extensively about race, social policy, policing and London government.
• Black History Daily: A site to celebrate black history all year around.

• UNISON
• UCU
• Unite