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Bringing to light the barriers faced by Black students in Higher Education, especially at PhD level, is something we encourage. However, the @BBCnewsnight report and article released today presented glaring omissions and erasure of a vital initiative within this sphere.
1/THREAD
1/THREAD
@LeadingRoutes, led by @pwi11iams & @ChantelleJLewis were not mentioned in either mediums of reporting at any point, despite prior consultation.
2/12 https://twitter.com/leadingroutes/status/1328610834214477825
2/12 https://twitter.com/leadingroutes/status/1328610834214477825
Their endeavours have enabled many Black PhD students to find community through #BlackInAcademia events and for helpful information to be disseminated to prospective students about the PhD application process.
3/12 https://buff.ly/3muaupX
3/12 https://buff.ly/3muaupX
The omission of Black women’s work and labour in this space is something we categorically reject and challenge. We must #CiteBlackWomen (a wider academic and societal problem) and credit those who have worked tirelessly, often without institutional support.
4/12
4/12
We owe our existence as a collective to the Broken Pipeline Report by @LeadingRoutes, released 14 months prior, which detailed the barriers Black PhD students face, the appalling statistics in awarding @UKRI_News studentships and recommendations to improve the status quo.
5/12
5/12
In addition, we take issue with the use of BAME in analysis. The experiences of BAME students in HE are not uniform. Black students are the least likely demographic to be awarded first class degrees, 2:1 degrees and PhD places.
6/12
6/12
Further along the pipeline, we see severe under-representation across senior academic levels. Less than 1% of UK professors are Black and Black Women are less likely to be professors compared to any other group in HE ( @NicolaRollock Phenomenal Women)
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/art-exhibitions/phenomenal-women
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https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/art-exhibitions/phenomenal-women
7/12
In this way, the use of the umbrella term BAME leads to averaging across discrete groups, and ultimately, misleading statistics both here and with other societal inequalities.
Rectifying marginalisation therefore requires targeted action.
https://leadingroutes.org/the-broken-pipeline
8/12
Rectifying marginalisation therefore requires targeted action.
https://leadingroutes.org/the-broken-pipeline
8/12
The points made by the former Education Secretary @DamianHinds about support and retention show awareness of the difficulties of the Black PhD and educational experience but as of yet no holistic, initiatives across the HE sector have been implemented.
9/12
9/12
This is another reason why PhD student-led collectives like ourselves, @WARC_UK and @SomaliAcademics have been formed, championing peer support for an often neglected demographic.
10/12
We therefore want to publicly thank @pwi11iams, @ChantelleJLewis and @LeadingRoutes, stand in solidarity with them and urge @bbcnewsnight to consider an apology and amendments to their reports, in order to highlight the fundamental work that has already been done.
11/12
11/12
For the attention of:
@esmewren, @franunsworth , @michelledonelan , @GavinWilliamson & @bbceducation
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@esmewren, @franunsworth , @michelledonelan , @GavinWilliamson & @bbceducation
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