In 2020, the Governing Body set up the Race, Diversity, and Access working group, which included students and staff from across the College. Following this group’s report, Queen’s has worked on a number of tangible proposals for tackling inequality, such as changing the standard wording for advertisements for both academic posts and College staff; raising awareness of racial discrimination and promoting inclusion through workshops; and establishing Confluence, an informal meeting place for students who identify as Black or Minority Ethnic (BME), and their allies. Building on research into past students of colour, the Library has curated an exhibition on Akiki Nyabongo to begin to tell the stories of our members who may have been previously side-lined.
Queen’s is co-funding three graduate scholarships as part of the Black Academic Futures Scholarships, which are awarded to successful applicants from UK Black and Mixed-Black students who hold an offer for a research postgraduate degree. Since 2021 it has taken part in the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme, in collaboration with the Blavatnik School. The College and History Faculty agreed that the Brittenden Fellowship in History would be in Black British History, for an historian with knowledge of the culture, society, or politics of people of African and/or Caribbean descent in Britain.
