Black Lives Matter – Statement of Support from EAC

As a group of researchers and teachers responsible for informing and educating our students in EAC, we felt it was important to respond to the terrible death of George Floyd and the massive and profound reactions to it. We are appalled that it has taken another loss of life to put systemic racism in the spotlight. We will all take this opportunity to review our public and personal positions on this issue.

You may have seen already the statement from the Vice-President for Social Responsibility at the university, Nalin Thakkar. Professor Thakkar writes that the university cannot be complacent or accepting of racism in any form. Our colleagues in Sociology and History Gary Younge and David Olusoga point out that this is not just a US problem. In EAC we are acutely aware of our shortcomings in the paucity of BAME teaching staff and our need to work harder to encourage and welcome BAME students onto our courses. We understand that as scholars, commentators, and educators, it is our duty to redouble our efforts in challenging the systemic racism that resulted in Mr Floyd’s death, and which is responsible for the loss of Black lives.

We hope that this awful event will remind us all to keep this issue front and centre in our plans, and to work towards creating for our future a level playing field. We are committed to effecting this through our teaching, our research, our committee work within and without the university, and in our conferences and events.