Racism and Black Lives Matter

Our commitment to change

The senseless death of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked global outrage and protests while prompting greater urgency to collectively confront continuing systemic racial inequalities faced by Black people. 

Our Interim Principal and Vice-Chancellor spoke of Black Lives Matter and how we address racism, as a University and more widely across society. Events unfolding in the USA against black people have been truly shocking to see and offer a disturbing reminder of the deep faults which are still present in society, and not just in the USA.

Events in the USA have again given all of us reason to reflect on what is happening both there and in Scotland. We acknowledge the hurt and upset within the Black community. 'Black Lives Matter' is a statement that we all must not only support in our words but our actions.

The University condemns racism and discrimination in all its forms. We are committed to an inclusive learning, research and working environment, to strong support for all our staff and students, and to a fairer and more equitable society for all.  In line with this commitment, the University will continue to identify and challenge institutional racism in all that we do.

We know there is much to be done, but here is our commitment to change. 

Black Lives Matter- Tracker Action Plan

We listened to the concerns of our Black staff and students and heard that we now need to implement real change with effective actions. In response to the issues raised by our Black staff and students during the Black Lives Matter protests in May/June 2020, the University has outlined a commitment and action plan to directly address the concerns raised and tackle systemic racial inequalities. The action plan includes ongoing work with various other race related activities (Race Equality Charter) and was developed with the involvement of our Black staff and students, BME Staff Network, Dundee University Students Association, EDI Office and the University Executive Group EDI Champion.

Some of the aspects of our action plan include a project on reviewing our legacy and links to the slave trade during the colonial period; steps taken to decolonise the curriculum in order to promote an inclusive learning environment.

This work is tracked and an updated version of the plan highlighting progress and completed actions will be uploaded on this page soon.