02/12/2024
Celebrations at November graduation
What is 'Let's Talk About Race and Racism'?
'Let's Talk About Race and Racism' is a College initiative intended to inspire new dialogues about race and racism, to learn from those dialogues, and create stronger communities in College, in the University, and beyond.
Here you'll find links and information about talks, podcasts, and other College activity all intended to drive positive change and greater understanding of race and racism.
A statement of our commitment
To lay out the purpose, intent and scope of 'Let's Talk About Race and Racism', we created a statement of commitment for the College.
- Read our statement in full
We, the Fellows, students and staff of Wolfson College Cambridge, pride ourselves on the diversity of our membership. Wolfson College is racially, ethnically, religiously and culturally diverse and we are fully committed to being fully and measurably inclusive. We are committed to addressing and combatting all forms of racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, unlawful discrimination and abuse, including that based on ethno-religious identity.
We recognise the ongoing prejudices and challenges that are faced by Black, Asian and all racialized Minority ethnic members of our college. We also recognise the legacies of colonialism that have created the interpersonal and structural racism that continues to exist throughout academia and society at large.
As a first step, we launched an initiative entitled ‘Let’s Talk about Race and Racism’ in 2020. We have now established an Interdisciplinary Research Hub to support research into Race Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage (REACH). Through these instruments, and others, we explore positive actions that we, as a College, can take, and we hold regular meetings and events that open up dialogue about race and racism at local, national and international levels.
Events
| Date | Event/Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jan | Asian Film Day screening | Wadjda (Saudi Arabia) |
| 2 Feb | Dr Peter McMurrary | Toward a Black Ecomusicology, 1853? Listening to Enslavement with Solomon Northrup |
| 7 Feb | Asian Film Day screening | The Handmaiden (Korea) |
| 9 Feb | Dr Aminul Hoque MBE | A Very British History: British-Bangladeshis |
| 21 Feb | Asian Film Day screening | The White Tiger (India) |
| 23 Feb | Dr Sascha Auerbach | "A Mild Despotism, Tempered by Sugar": the Rise of the Overseer State in Britain's Post-Slavery Empire |
| 2 Mar | Dr Hannah Elias | Religion and the Politics of Race in 1960s London: Transnational Liberation Networks and Theologies of Resistance |
| 7 Mar | Asian Film Day screening | Spirited Away (Japan) |
| 10 Mar | Professor Jane Rhodes Professor Lynn Hudson | From Mississippi to Cambridge: Marie Battle Singer, Britain's first Black psychoanalyst |
| 5 May | Dr Nicola Rollock | The Rules of Racial Standing: Race and Racism in the Era of the Public Lynching of George Floyd |
"Shade in Cambridge" Podcast
Inspired by this initiative, three Wolfson students, Annoa, Raquel and Megan, created a podcast, Shade in Cambridge. In a seven-part series, they interview guests about their experiences of race and racism, and share stories, perspectives and ideas.
You can read more and listen to the episodes on the 'Shade in Cambridge' page.
Race Equality in the University
You can find out more about race equality at Cambridge on the University website.
