The Unlearn series at ARU

Please note that the sessions include reference to lived experience of racism and racialised harassment.

Given the sensitive nature of the topics we will be covering, and inspired by the ARU Inclusivity Reading Group, we offer the following ground rules:

1. Be willing to acknowledge that racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression exist.
2. Recognise that we all have different starting points in learning about racism and structures of oppression. No one is an expert. People at all points of the learning journey are welcome.
3. Practice empathetic listening.
4. There is no pressure to speak or to share your lived experience.

At ARU, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture which promotes equality, values diversity and encourages allyship, whilst maintaining a supportive working, learning and social environment for all students and staff.

We welcome you to #unlearn with us.

Since 2022, ARU’s Diversity and Cultural Change Team (Student and Library Services) has been running the #unlearn series; developed to explore topics related to race equality with the aim to achieve genuine cultural and institutional change.

The Unlearn series includes a range of offerings including Lightbulb sessions, which are open to ARU students, staff, and now, the wider community. These sessions are designed to encourage racial literacy and improve our cognizance of the ways in which racism manifests. The events are organised and funded collaboratively by teams across the University including the Race Equality Advocates, Faculty Race Equality Leads, Anglia Learning & Teaching, Staff Inclusivity Networks and more.

In its first year, the Unlearn series reached over 2,000 staff and students, attending at least one of the four types of sessions on offer:

1. Lightbulb: Awakening to the reality of structural racism with external and internal experts.
2. Contextualise: Understanding how institutional racism works at ARU.
3. Educate: Understanding the different forms racism takes, fostering a desire to catalyse change.
4. Diversify: Developing skills and tools to diversify courses and delivery at ARU.

The Unlearn Series was designed to fulfil commitments within our Race Equality Strategy and Bronze Race Equality Charter Award.

If you are interested in learning more about our commitments to this work, you can view our dedicated page on Race Equality at ARU.

Celebrating Gypsy, Roma, Traveller History Month
24 June 2024
This event featured speakers from diverse backgrounds within the GRT communities, who shared their experiences, stories and perspectives on aspects of GRT culture, history and contemporary issues. It also offered a platform for networking, dialogue and collaboration among attendees.

Race, Gender and Class Intersectionality
19 June 2024
Two keynote speakers explored the intersections between race, gender and class. Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of UK Black Pride, the world's largest celebration for LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent, and a safe space to celebrate diverse sexualities, gender identities, gender expressions and cultures. Elvina Binu is an ARU Race Equality Advocate and mechanical engineering student. Elvina's talk explored diverse perspectives and experiences with a student-focused lens.

International Cultural Competence
21 May 2024
Speaker and internationally educated nurse Patience Bamisaye spoke to the international student experience and the issues they may face such as communication struggles and culture shock. Patience also highlighted the importance of preparing managers, mentors and lecturers to facilitate adequate adaptation through cultural awareness, knowledge and sensitivity. The talk touched on various strategies to support international students and nurses. The event featured a panel consisting of a combination of international students and internationally educated nurses.

Anti-Racism's Lightbulb Moment: Institutions, Reform and Radical Change
30 April 2024
In this exciting and thought-provoking talk, Dr Adam Elliot-Cooper discussed his recently published book, Black Resistance to British Policing. Dr Cooper detailed the poignant activism that laid the foundations for political movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement. He analysed racism beyond prejudice and the interpersonal – arguing that Black resistance confronts a global system of racial classification, exploitation, and violence.

Watch the recording of Dr Adam Elliot-Cooper's Lightbulb session on YouTube

Unlearn: Race on the Intersection - Black Women of Faith as Activists
24 January 2024
Reverend Canon Gale Richards explored the 'diversity of beliefs within and between faith groups.' Following that, Gale delved into UnLearning, examining it through the lens of the stories of Black women of faith who have been at the forefront of race equality activism. Gale also shared research findings from her own study on the lives of Black British Christian women, touching on womanist theory and its impact on Black British Christian women.

Additional Lightbulb events delivered for staff and students at ARU (internal events delivered in 2022/23)

• Aisha Richards, 28 June 2022: Awakening to the reality of structural racism in our society.
• Nathan Ghann, 8 June 2022: Tools for enhancing the curriculum to increase racial inclusion, engagement and reduce gaps.
• Dr Gurnam Singh, 16 December 2022: Awakening to the reality of structural racism in our society.
• Dr Marie Stewart, 7 June 2022: Understanding the barriers faced by students of colour in STEM subjects.
• Professor Jason Arday, 12 October 2022: Awakening to the reality of structural racism in our society.
• Dr Marie Stewart, 22 November 2022:Institutional racism in higher education and its impact.
• Dr Marie Stewart, 22 March 2023: Institutional racism in higher education and its impact.
• Professor Jason Arday, 12 May 2023: The ways structural racism manifest in our society.
• Dr Marie Stewart, 26 October 2023: The intersection of race and gender in higher education.