Student smiling, she has Tanzanian flags painted on her cheeks

Black and Minority Ethnic Communities

Find out more about our commitment to tackling race inequality for staff and students

We are committed to ensuring that students from black and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME) are supported while studying here at the University of Portsmouth.

We also work with the local community to raise aspirations and enable success in groups which are traditionally under represented in higher education.

Race Equality Network

Our Race Equality Network supports the University’s work on tackling racial inequality.

The Network made an important contribution to our work towards our Race Equality Charter submission in February 2021.

Run by Advance HE, and launched nationally in 2016, the Race Equality Charter aims to improve the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education.

Signing up to the Charter is a significant long-term commitment which will involve long-term institutional culture change across the University.

We aim to build a culture of openness and trust that allows for honest reflection and difficult conversations about race and acknowledges that racial inequalities exist.

Our membership of the Charter demonstrates our commitment to tackling race inequality for staff and students.

Race Equality Charter principles

  1. Racial inequalities are a significant issue within higher education. Racial inequalities are not necessarily overt, isolated incidents. Racism is an everyday facet of UK society and racial inequalities manifest themselves in everyday situations, processes and behaviours.
  2. UK higher education cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the whole population and until individuals from all ethnic backgrounds can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.
  3. In developing solutions to racial inequalities, it is important that they are aimed at achieving long-term institutional culture change, avoiding a deficit model where solutions are aimed at changing the individual.
  4. Minority ethnic staff and students are not a homogenous group. People from different ethnic backgrounds have different experiences of and outcomes from/within higher education, and that complexity needs to be considered in analysing data and developing actions.
  5. All individuals have multiple identities, and the intersection of those different identities should be considered wherever possible.

If you have any questions about the University's commitment to the Race Equality Charter, contact Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team by emailing equality@port.ac.uk.

Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Network

The University of Portsmouth Students' Union (UPSU) runs our Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Network, which you can join on Facebook.

For more information about upcoming events or to get involved as an organiser, visit UPSU.net.

Awarding Gap Campaign

Following the success of the University's first ever BAME network, this campaign looks to reduce the awarding gap between white, home students and students from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Activities include mentoring schemes, lobbying for curriculum diversity and working on improving outreach to young people in the local community. Visit the UPSU campaign page to find out more.