Monday 08-06-2020 - 10:55

Black Lives Matter – a message to our members

 

We at Hartpury Students’ Union want to make it clear without question, that we oppose any form of discrimination and prejudice. Since HSU began, we have pledged to embrace diversity, promote equality and encourage an inclusive environment.

Like so many of you we were utterly appalled by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25^th, and have watched in horror as reports come through the media of acts of brutality carried out on protestors by US police officers subsequently.

We want to be clear that we know the US isn’t alone in failing their black and minority ethnic population.  In the UK we know that overt racism is still a very real issue many members of our community – you – experience on a daily basis.  These incidents are compounded and facilitated by the systematic and institutional racism that pervades our structures of power, systems and culture. 

We have acknowledged for some time that as a union we are not doing enough to represent and support black students at Hartpury.  We created new liberation representative positions in an attempt to start to overcome these failings, but received no nominations for the role of Black Students’ Officer (or the other roles of Disabled, LGBT+ and Women). 

We’re going to reflect on this, holding a mirror to our policies and ways of working which have created barriers, preventing black students feeling they are part of our community and have a role to play.  We will do better, but we need your help.  We want to help educate students at Hartpury and work with the university and college to tackle racism and race inequalities

We will be looking at how we can work with other SUs across the country as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and in the new academic year we will be running a by-election to fill the Liberation Representative positions.  We need our work to be informed by the lived experiences of black students and staff.

To our black students we say: we see you, we hear you and we stand with you. 

We want to hear from any of you if you have thoughts and ideas that can help us, or for ways that we can help you.  Please email studentsunion@hartpury.ac.uk if you would like to share anything with us.

We have also compiled this, non-exhaustive, list of actions you might like to take

Together we’re stronger

HSU