Black Students - Warwick Demands

To The University of Warwick,

We are cultural and liberation societies committed to anti-racism who represent over 400 Black students at Warwick University. We have recently seen a worldwide awakening to the horrors, trauma and violence Black people have faced for years. We all witnessed the brutal murder of George Floyd which sparked mass protests worldwide. We have seen media discussions and the social media buzz surrounding Black lives. However, we must remember, this is not a trend. Tweets, black squares and a hashtag with a brown fist is not enough. Black people have repeatedly highlighted the need for tangible actions from our peers, our institutions and society as a whole. We do not believe that the University of Warwick’s statement regarding Black lives presented any tangible goals, actions or commitments. Therefore, as the representatives of many Black students on campus, we are now tabling demands we expect the University to meet in order to publicly show your student body, staff and wider society that your statement was not hollow or a media stunt, but that being an actively anti-racist institution is something the University of Warwick truly believes in. For the Black students at Warwick, words and statements are not enough. We expect our demands to be heard and want to see a tangible difference in how the University operates. Below are our demands.

We demand the university to adopt a definition of racism.

We recognised that although the University of Warwick released a statement expressing support for BAME students, the university has no stance or position on racism. In order to truly tackle racism, it is important we properly define the term and this is used to hold everyone accountable. We have offered up our definition on racism which we hope the University will adopt.

We demand the creation of a complaints system for students to report racism and discriminatory behaviour from the University of Warwick.

We are aware of the University of Warwick’s plans to create an explicit complaints procedure in Warwick for Black students and other minority students to make complaints about racism. Racism occurs in high numbers at Warwick and it is critical for a complaints procedure to be created.

We are demanding that the University of Warwick establish contact with representatives of societies signatory to these demands to ensure the university is held accountable to their students in the creation of the complaints system and to ensure the system meets the needs of the Black community.

We demand an investigation into Warwick’s campus security.

There have been numerous incidents of racial profiling by campus security and this has to stop.

We are demanding full transparency into campus security’s policies and procedures, including their complaints procedures.
We are demanding the following information to be released: the recruitment process for campus security, the common past careers of these individuals, and the training they undergo before obtaining their positions.
We are demanding a change of uniform, away from the current uniform whose colour and form resemble Police uniforms. Black people are 10x more likely to be stopped and searched as well among many other well documented negative interactions with the police. The presence of police-like security personnel especially with the uniform mimicking this and can remind students of past traumatic encounters. Therefore causing them to feel unsafe.
We are demanding campus security wear clearly displayed name labels or tags so students know who they are interacting with, and to improve accountability.

We demand the university to create an easily accessible yearly pool fund for the celebration, appreciation and education of Black history.

Every year the university leaves the celebration of Black history month in the hands of Black societies and Black people on campus. However, funds are not explicitly made available for this to happen. As an educational institution and a cash rich university, the University of Warwick must commit to creating funds for anti-racist socieities, cultural societies and Black students and staffs to access in the creation of education about Black History during Black History month and beyond.

We demand an investigation into, and the undoing of the University of Warwick's colonial legacies and neocolonial practices

We recognise that the roots of contemporary racism can be found in the material, political, social and cultural processes of colonialism taking place up to this point. Consequently:

We demand the University of Warwick hire a paid team of anti-racist activists/scholars to investigate the names and histories of the buildings of the Warwick Campus and rename all which glorify racist individuals whose actions inflicted harm, death or destruction upon racialised and colonised people e.g. the Radcliffe Building.

The Radcliffe Building is named after University of Warwick’s first Vice Chancellor, Viscount Radcliffe. He drew the partition lines separating the Bengal region into India and Pakistan resulting in death and displacement of millions.

We demand the University address any colonial legacies that it has (e.g aspects, projects, funds, finances of the university glorifying or benefitting/profiting from, individuals, groups, corporations and organisations that engaged or continue to engage in any aspects of colonialism) and takes appropriate action to dismantle these aspects of the university.
We demand the University divest from any complicity it has with (ongoing) neocolonial practices across the world. We expect the University to consult The Decolonise Project and paid student staff in order to achieve this demand.
We demand the University educate the student and staff body on the university’s colonial legacies and steps which are being taken to address them through an information campaign.

We demand the University of Warwick to actively commit to The Decolonise Project.

Currently, The Decolonise Project sits within Warwick SU and it should remain this way. Howerer, funding is only provided for 12 student staff and 1 part time project coordinator.

We demand the university fund more student staff to ensure ALL Warwick departments are represented. Student staff teams should have connections to the department/subject they are allocated too (i.e. there should be at least one history student on the team of advocates allocated to decolonising the history department).
There should also be 2 Full Time Coordinators employed - one coordinator should be from the University and the other should remain in the SU. These two coordinators should constantly liaise and communicate with one another to ensure the University remains committed financially and practically to the work and the results of the project. This includes ensuring that academic departments cooperate fully with the decolonising teams, with the support of Heads of Department; entailing the allocation of an appropriate faculty member (DSE or other) from each department to work directly with student staff on the project.
We demand the university take seriously the findings of The Decolonise Project and respond to them within 45 days of report submission and 90 days over the summer.
The University should also expand the Decolonise Project and fund another team of student staff to help work on the demands listed in demand 5. This team will be directed towards decolonising the University as an institution, this involves a thorough evaluation, restructuring and redressing of hiring practices, salary allocations (i.e. the gender pay gap and the racial pay gap), the university’s investment portfolio, spending practices and hired contractors. This team will require another full time coordinator situated within the university and the full cooperation of the University for the teams’ research and the implementation of their recommendations. .

We demand the retraining of all staff within the University on anti-oppression training

All student-facing staff and staff whose role impacts students within the university should receive extensive training on anti-oppression from an organisation vetted by anti-racist activists.

We demand the University of Warwick create and maintain widening participation programmes for Black students in the community

The University of Warwick notably holds many outreach programmes to the local community to welcome younger years to the University. However, the University should create and maintain widening participation programmes that focus on the impact of and relationship between race and the student experience, that address barriers that Black and other racialised students face - from accessing University, to progressing through University, to their attainment outcomes.

Signed by:

Warwick Anti-Racism Society

Warwick East African Society

Warwick African Carribean Society

Warwick Nigerian Society

Warwick Ghanaian Society

Warwick Carribean Culture Society

The Black Women’s Project

Warwick SU Education Officer 2019/20

Warwick SU Welfare & Campaigns Officer 2019/20