Resources

Queen Mary University of London is committed to progressing and advancing Race Equality for its staff and students.

There’s an ongoing need to collaborate around a shared common goal to achieve a better world for everyone. Diversity has been in the University’s DNA from our founding.

We are proud to share resources that have been developed to support colleagues in progressing Race Equality locally and across the sector.

Short Guide to Understanding Race and Ethnicity Language and Terminology [PDF 323KB]

This guide was created by colleagues in the Understanding and Celebrating Race and Ethnicity working group, a sub-committee within our Race Equality Action Group. This document aims to provide some context and information around different terminology and language relating to race and ethnicity. We know that the wide range of different terms can be confusing or overwhelming. A fear of saying the wrong thing can get in the way of having thoughtful, productive, and honest conversations about race and race equality at Queen Mary.

Race Equality Toolkit [PDF 14,654KB]

Queen Mary has developed this Race Equality Toolkit to support staff in implementing the University’s strategic objective – to be the most inclusive University of its kind by 2030. This Toolkit has been developed as one of a number of initiatives to highlight the importance of promoting anti-racist practices, valuing cultural diversity and in providing an appropriate and professional service to all people irrespective of colour, culture or ethnic origin.

Further resources - Queen Mary

Rebecca Mbewe, a research assistant with SHARE, who carries out community engagement work recently wrote a blog post for the Queen Mary Public Engagement team, about her co-authored book ‘Our Stories Told By Us'.

Anna-Theresa Jieman, a PhD student in SBBS, has been doing a podcast project about anti-racism in mental health research called Beyond the Academic Veil.

The School of Mathematical Sciences has produced posters and videos - see further down - to highlight the diversity of mathematicians:

We firmly believe that fostering a sense of belonging within a community is of high importance in maintaining active and engaged members. Role models play a crucial role in inspiring individuals to pursue similar aspirations and in aiding them in identifying with those who have achieved what they aspire to accomplish. However, it is worth noting that within the realm of mathematics, diversity among well-known figures remains somewhat limited. Consequently, our primary objective is to offer insight into the diverse spectrum of mathematicians and shed light on the unique challenges that members of minority groups may encounter. Our hope is that these narratives will serve as a source of inspiration for students who may have doubts about pursuing a career in mathematics or simply require a confidence boost in their chosen path.

To accomplish this, we have curated a series of posters featuring prominent individuals from various backgrounds and conducted a collection of video interviews encompassing the experiences of mathematicians ranging from students to academics and professionals in various industries. Our intention was to transmit our message in an attractive manner to the viewer, so we opted for vibrant posters with inspirational quotes and multiple images, as well as short, direct video interviews.

This initiative marks the second phase of a project that commenced during the summer of 2022. In its initial iteration, we produced a booklet containing biographies of renowned mathematicians from minority groups. What we could not anticipate last year was the level of interest our project would gather when presented at seminars and events, and more importantly the growing ideas that followed, which we committedly nurture and hope to keep developing.

Posters:

School of Mathematical Sciences posters [PDF 1,546KB]

Videos:

The Momentous Migration of Obenbe Iminja (Ijira Pataki ti Obenbe Iminja) - Animation created by our staff member from ITS Services, Gilbert Lekan Olukotun. Get in touch with Gilbert to hear more.

This captivating animation is the first proof of concept in the Tapestries of Yoruba Civilization series, an ambitious project that will span across multiple episodes to depict the 2,500-year-old civilization of the Yoruba people. Through vivid storytelling and intricate visuals, we celebrate the resilience, ingenuity, and rich cultural history of the Yoruba people—a story that continues to inspire generations.