"Ally-ship" is a term and label that has often been used with equality and diversity movements (e.g. LGBTQI+ networks and events). However, when it comes to the conversation of Black lives and transforming race equality in institutions, like higher education, this is a novel concept. This event is an open space to discuss the "allyship" label and consider the following questions: 1) What does "allyship" mean to Black and ethnic minority staff and students in higher education? 2) Is "allyship" the right term? 3) What characteristics and behaviours does a good race equality "ally" practise? I encourage all staff and students to engage in this conversation and to start a meaningful dialogue with you group. The event strives to created a space outside of oppressive university structures, and nurture innovation and systems thinking. Twitter: @drarunverma Contact: hello@arunverma.co.uk

1. “ALLYSHIP”
RACE EQUALITY IN UK UNIVERSITIES
DR ARUN
VERMATWITTER:@DRARUNVERMA

2. ABOUT ME
• Arun Verma (he/him)
• Queer non-Black cis-man of colour
• PhD in intersectionality and healthcare education
• Involved in diversity, inclusion, people and culture change for policy and practice
in higher education and third sector.
• Twitter: @drarunverma

3. CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION
• What is an ally?
• Are “allies” the right label?
• How do allies support the dismantling of race and intersecting inequalities in
Higher Education?

4. UK UNIVERSITIES AND COLONIALISM
• “Not enough light has been shed on the fact that universities and academia
played an important role, alongside other instruments of state, in the justification
for and maintenance of the British empire. The inequalities faced by black people
in the Academy and in society [is] a stark reminder of this continued legacy”
(Doku, 2019)

7. MENTIMETER
•Go to www.mentimeter.com
•Enter code 85 91 22

8. WHAT’S BEING DONE?
• HERAG – 2017
• EHRC: Tackling racism in higher education
• Race Equality Charter
• Small-medium projects and campaigns
• Reports, reports, reports.

9. HISTORY OF ALLYSHIP
• late 14c., "relative, kinsman” from ally (v.); mid-15c. in the sense of "one united
with another by treaty or league." Allies as the name of the nations aligned
against the Central Powers in World War I is from 1914; as the nations aligned
against Germany, Italy and Japan in World War II, from 1939 (Etymonline.com)

10. ALLYSHIP AND LGBTQI+/TRANSGENDER
MOVEMENTS
• The emergence of “out-group alliances”
• More socialised and embedded into Western discourses
• Mainstreaming of LGBTQI+ and Transgenderism: examples through media (Ng,
2013) and education (Nash & Browne, 2019)
Fingerhut, A. W. (2011). Straight Allies: What Predicts Heterosexuals' Alliance With the LGBT
Community? 1. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(9), 2230-2248.

11. ALLYSHIP AND DISABILITY
• Disabled artists attended to stereotyped representations of disability in media
narratives, critiqued these stereotypes.
• Discourses have focused on voice, agency, and those with lived experience of
disability and d/Deafness
• Calls to re-define for people to reconsider their roles in shaping disability
identities.
• References to social models of disability to enact allyship
Forber-Pratt, A. J., Mueller, C. O., & Andrews, E. E. (2019). Disability identity and allyship in rehabilitation psychology: Sit, stand, sign, and show up. Rehabilitation
Psychology, 64(2), 119–129. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000256
Hadley, B. (2020). Allyship in disability arts: roles, relationships, and practices. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 25(2), 178-
194.

12. (Reid, 2019)

13. ALLYSHIP AND INEQUALITY
Carlson, J., Leek, C., Casey, E. et al. What’s in a Name? A Synthesis of “Allyship”
Elements from Academic and Activist Literature. J Fam Viol (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00073-z
Everyday ally
Unlikely and
undesirable
allyship Welcome
criticism and be
accountable
Ally not a self-
adhesive label
Listen + shut
up + read
Amplified
marginalised
voices
Structural
analysis
Non-self
absorbed and
accountable self-
reflection

14. ALLYSHIP
• “Allyship is a proactive, ongoing, and incredibly difficult
practice of unlearning and re-evaluating, in which a person of privilege works
in solidarity and partnership with a marginalized group of people to help take
down the systems that challenge that group's basic rights, equal access, and
ability to thrive in our society” (Rochester Racial Toolkit)

15. ALLYSHIP
• “If you have come here to
help me, you are wasting
your time. But if you have
come because your
liberation is bound up with
mine, then let us work
together” – Lilla Watson,
(Australian) Indigenous
Murri Gangulu, artist,
activist and academic.

16. GOOGLE JAMBOARD (LINK IN THE CHAT/Q & A)
Write your comment here
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post to
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17. PAUSE. REFLECT.
• What are universities not doing to tackle racism?

20. ACTION POLICY
• Brings together the principles of an action plan and
policy making to translate anti-racism commitments
into action.

21. Staff experience
-Academic
-Non-academic
-Contract
Student
experience
-Undergraduate
-PG taught
-PG research
-Social/societies
Research
systems
-Research funding
-Research contracts
-Research
excellence
-Research collabs
Teaching
systems
-Teaching funding
-Teaching contracts
-Teaching
excellence
-Teaching collabs
Pedagogy
-University identity
-Curriculum design
-Professionalism
Implementation
-Governance
-Operations
-Strategy

22. OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGE
• Implementing accountability and uptake of the action
policy.

23. EMPOWERMENT
• About the anti-racism action policy
• Why co-authors?
• A truly meaningful intersectional approach
• Platform to co-design, co-own, co-embed, co-commit to holding the
university sector accountable for acting on commitments.
• The UK largest co-authored anti-racism policy
• A model for change to all policy making in the UK

24. WHAT DOES THE POLICY LOOK LIKE?
• Rapid review of evidence in relation to the theme.
• Narrative of lived experiences of racism (if co-authors feel comfortable with sharing
these stories)
• Outline of 4-6 core areas for dismantling racism within the theme.
• Identifying disruptive reflective questions for senior, middle-management and early
career staff?

25. BECOME CONSPIRATORS
• Endorse, co-embed and co-innovate
• Empower each other
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

26. REFLECTION

27. QUESTIONS, ANSWERS & THANK YOU
• Twitter: @drarunverma
• Contact: hello@arunverma.co.uk