BlackPembroke

Following Black History Month, the College continues to reflect on what can be done to secure the academic success and wellbeing of Black students and staff. As part of our commitment to promoting inclusivity and racial equality, Pembroke students, staff, and alumni have come together over the last year to form a Working Group called BlackPembroke.

Chaired by alumna Angela Daniel, BlackPembroke seeks to provide a safe, comfortable environment for members from across the College community to share experiences and ideas, to listen, and to collaborate. The aims of the Group are twofold: to improve the experience of Black students and staff already at Pembroke, and to increase the long-term participation of Black students in Oxford admissions.

At meetings, members have given feedback about admissions trends and access initiatives, as well as sharing personal experiences of their time at Pembroke and Oxford. These inform discussions about how the student experience might be made both more inclusive for current students and more accessible to prospective applicants, and help to establish practical next steps.

Within College, the Group has sought to influence policies to promote Black student welfare and wellbeing and to encourage the recruitment and achievement of Black staff. The last year has seen the appointment of three Black academics at Pembroke, as well as two new funding agreements for Black scholarships. BlackPembroke worked with the Academic Office to organise a Q&A event for Black applicants at the June 2021 Virtual Open days, and plans are underway for an art competition in collaboration with the JCR in a bid to reach younger school pupils.

BlackPembroke has also developed partnerships with other institutions, student groups, Black-led organisations, and schools. A collaboration with the Oxford African and Caribbean Society (ACS), initiated by Pembroke undergraduate and ACS Vice-President Chimdi Okpalauko, has seen the College sponsor the ACS Annual Oxford Conference, and members are seeking more ways to support the society. A formal partnership has been established with Thinking Black, a social enterprise founded by Pembroke alumna Hope Oloye which supports Black British students. Outreach events are planned with schools in London, and it is hoped that a growing connection with a research project at the University of Texas will help to identify the best ways to move forward.