What is the LeicsDecolonise campaign?
LeicsDecolonise is a student-led campaign dedicated to lobbying our University to divest from companies complicit in the climate crisis & oppression, democratising our University so that power is in the hands of the broader student-staff community and confronting the ways in which our curriculum reinforce structural racism and other forms of domination. Check our Linktree out here!
There are two different strands of decolonising the University of Leicester. These include:
1. Culture
Decolonising culture means looking at the practices in the University and society. For the University it means reviewing and dismantaling processes and bureaucracy that have created barriers for students in their education. When it comes to society it means changing social norms, behaviours and decolonising the mind.
2. Curriculum
Work on the Curriculum entails far more than adding Black authors to a reading list, or adding modules about Africa and Asia to our syllabus. Confronting our curriculum and the way we learn may be reinforcing structural racism (and other modes of domination) and how there is a lack of much needed critical thought in our systems of education. The work in this strand will involve campaigning for learning spaces which seek to challenge, critique and compliment the mainstream white, eurocentric ways of thinking & learning.
Our Work on Divestment
Divestment is the opposite of investment. It is the act of diverting funds from unethical industries such as fossil fuels, weapons firms, and those who are on the BDS list. You pay tuition fees to this university, and the university then invests that money. We do not want to be complicit in the funding practices which further exploitation and violence. Recent developments include:
- The University committed to divesting from fossil fuels following the campaign work of Plan-It Change
- In collaboration with the Social Impact and Finance team, the SU is developing a sustainability framework
- Students passed a BDS policy which the SU will now take forward to the University to encourage divestment
- Working with the Finance team to increase transparency of University investments, supported by endowment fund manager Goldman Sachs
- Working with the Careers department to ensure that organisations on the BDS list are not invited to Careers fairs so students aren't encouraged into potentially harmful career paths
- The University has produced an updated ESG (Enviromental, Social and Governance) Diagnostic with Goldman Sachs, following our request, to review its latest investments and also who they receive money from
If you have any queries, or want to chat further about divestment, email su-president@le.ac.uk
Five Year Plan
Nic Farmer, our Liberation Officer for 2021/23 has created a LeicsDecolonise Five Year Plan. This Five-Year Plan is intended to help and guide future Executive Officers and student activists to fight for a more inclusive university learning environment. However, it is imperative that this document stays dynamic and ever-changing as ways of thinking and expectations will change. I hope the future successors of this campaign take the reins and do what they deem to be best for the students. Check out the Five Year Plan!
Podcasts and Videos
We've started producing informative content focused around the topic of decolonisation. These videos and podcasts will feature a variety of guest speakers, including students, activists and of course the 2020/21 Officer team.
Episode 1 - Building a New World Podcast
This podcast is a discussion with Fope Olaleye (writer, activist and former NUS Black Students' Officer), Larissa Kennedy (NUS President), Taiwo Ogunyinka from the Free Black University (FBU) and your 2020/21 Liberation Officer, Tony Magaia. This episode focuses on how we can build a world free of structural oppression and violence, one where violence against Black communities is not normalised and where education is an empowering & liberating experience. We hope you enjoy the episode.
Black Trans Joy Panel
This is a panel event with T Time Podcasts, Chloe Filani, Tatenda Shameso and Koi Buckley. Facilitated by the Liberation Officer 2021/23, Nic Farmer, they will be sharing their experiences of Black trans joy and what it means to them, how they cultivate community and why radical self-care is so important!
Why Is My Curriculum White?
What is the campaign about?
’Why is my curriculum white?’ is part of the wider campaign #LeicsDecolonise. This strand of the campaign seeks to highlight the gaps in our curriculum & teaching, what it means to decolonise the curriculum, how we can empower both staff & students on the ground to make change and ensure that University leadership live up to their promises and commitments made to students at the Inclusivity Ideathon last academic year. The campaign will consist of panel events and workshops throughout the year designed to increase our knowledge but also empower us to push for a curriculum that is representative and inclusive of all students & staff. Please do follow the campaign and keep your eyes peeled for events we will be holding throughout the year.
I look forward to working with and welcoming you all!
What's new for 2020/21?
Fact Guide
A resource guide about decolonising the curriculum, why it's an important issue and what we mean by the Awarding Gap.
All previous events
This campaign will be continuing this semester with the focus being on what steps we can take to decolonise Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM). Keep an eye out for workshops, panel events, networking opportunities and active change-making! All events are free to attend.
Friday 7 February - Decolonising STEM Workshop by Dr. Furaha Asani: 6-8pm, Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 2
Wednesday 12 February - Closing the Gap Leicester Away Day with Educational Excellence (EdEx)
The Students' Union (SU), in collaboration with the University, will be running an away day inviting both academics & student reps to come along and develop actions plans to decolonise the curriculum and alleviate the BAME awarding gap. This will be in College Court from 9am-5pm - you are welcome to attend and leave at any time!
LUNCH & TEA WILL BE PROVIDED.
https://www.leicesterunion.com/surveys/closingthegap/?fbclid=IwAR2LtRzvXZlD-e9jmAx8uTTef4rqp7tScf93HP0yOHiIM6SJN_bJ9e9Y3vY
Thursday 13 February - Eugenics & Scientific Racism: A Conversation. 6-8pm, Attenborough Lecture Theatre 1
Wednesday 4 March - Womxn in STEM Speed Networking Event in collaboration with Careers Development Service & UoL Women in STEM Society
Wednesday 6 November 2019 - Decolonising Education Workshop, 6pm-8.30pm, Bennett Link Lecture Theatre
A workshop aimed at student reps, designed to empower and equip them with both a knowledge of the importance of decolonisation and the practical skills to decolonise on a local level. This event will be delivered by Fope Olaleye, NUS Black Students’ Officer.
Thursday 7 November 2019 - Decolonising Education Panel with Dr Adam Elliott Cooper and Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan , 6-9pm, Peter Williams Lecture Theatre
The highlight event of the campaign aimed to bring a strong awareness to the issue of decolonisation and the importance of it. Adam and Suhaiymah have shown expertise in their respective fields and this would be an opportunity to spread their insights to the decision makers in the university. This will be chaired by Adnan Rahman, Education Officer.
Speakers:
- Dr Adam Elliott Cooper; in 2016, Adam received a PhD from the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. He has previously worked as a researcher in the Department of Philosophy at UCL, as a teaching fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick and as a research associate in the Department of Geography at King’s College London. He currently sits on the board of The Monitoring Group, an anti-racist organisation challenging state racism and racial violence.
- Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan; Suhaiymah is a British Pakistani Muslim spoken word poet, writer and speaker. She attended Queen’s College at Cambridge University where she studied History. She subsequently completed a Master of Arts at SOAS in Postcolonial Studies. Her publications have included ‘A Fly Girl’s Guide to University: Being a Woman of Colour at Cambridge and Other Institutions of Elitism and Power’ and ‘Postcolonial Banter’ - a collection of poems around race & liberation, for which Suhaiymah is currently touring the country for.