Race Equality Week 2022
Race Equality Week (7 to 13 February) is a UK-wide initiative aimed at uniting organisations and individuals in activities to address the barriers to race equality in the workplace.
The theme for Race Equality Week 2022 is 'Action Not Just Words'. In response to this, we encourage everyone to listen to diverse stories from our communities, learn more about social justice, and actively take part in developing awareness and promoting race equality.
Our approach to race equality
As an institution, we acknowledge the significance of not losing sight of the important work around anti-racism. Our anti-racism statement recognises the importance of addressing systemic inequalities, disadvantages and discrimination, and we commit to taking an active and conscious effort to work against all aspects of overt and systemic racism. The University's Race Equality Coordination Group (RECG) continues to champion and oversee our race equality activities. We actively engage internally and externally to ensure that we take meaningful steps to challenge ourselves, build a more inclusive environment and influence broader cultural change. The group is responsible for coordinating a programme of activities in the form of race equality focus areas, and our priorities include:
- Establishing a culture and environment where we can talk about the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of race and inequality.
- Addressing the ethnicity pay gap and BAME staff under-representation.
- Diversifying and decolonising the curriculum.
The University's Executive Board has endorsed these priorities and has committed to supporting the progress of these across our learning, teaching, working, social and living environments.
Learn more and get involved
- Join #MyNameIs discussion and networking event at 2.30pm, Wednesday 9 February;
- Sign up to the new University of York race equality network (open to all students and staff);
- Let's educate ourselves: learn more from our race equality resources page and from our communities about their thoughts on anti-racism.
Race Equality Week was established by the not-for-profit community interest company Race Equality Matters, which was formed in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement, and its ambition is to build a 'UK wide collaboration of thousands of organisations and millions of employees creating change to achieve Race Equality in our workplaces'.