College Statement: BLM and Racism

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the protests which have followed in both the USA and here in the UK many members of the Pembroke community are feeling pain and anger.  I have received messages from a number of you, and have had conversations with others.  Our student bodies, both JCR and MCR, have issued statements which make clear our shared commitment to ensure that Pembroke does not tolerate racism in any form. 

One of Pembroke’s stated values is inclusivity, which we have defined as respecting differences, embracing diversity, and helping one another to succeed by encouraging, challenging and listening to one another.  I am confident that we can live up to this, but we have much to do to ensure that our black students and colleagues feel equal. 

In the past week I have co-signed two letters along with other Heads of Oxford Colleges.  One was published in the Guardian as an open letter, and the other was a response to Oxford students who have written to many of us to express specific concerns.  I encourage all of you directly affected to look at this second letter and consider whether the support mechanisms which it outlines would be helpful to you.  Within College those available to listen and support at this time include Prof Linda Flores, Chair of our Welfare and Equalities Committee, and Warren Stanislaus, DPhil student and recipient of a 2019 Rising Star Award for outstanding black students in the UK.

At Pembroke, we will continue to listen to our community and to take action.  We need to have honest conversations.  They are not always comfortable, but they are at the heart of educating ourselves and bringing about constructive change.  There will be a further discussion at Governing Body next week, and there is a real commitment here to continuing debate and understanding, and to moving forward together in practical ways. 

Pembroke students continue to stand up for each other and for the values of diversity and inclusion, both together and as individuals.  This past week the JCR have organised and participated in a range of discussions and activities for Diversity Week.  Uncomfortable Oxford, which seeks to raise questions about the legacies of inequality and imperialism in the city and the university was cofounded by a Pembroke DPhil student, and a recent JCR President co-founded the Afro-Caribbean Tyler Prize for high-achieving black Year 12 students which has been awarded twice.  The College has sponsored Target Oxbridge which is an access programme working with talented black pupils, and this year Pembroke has awarded two special scholarships to black graduate students, one which was offered for BAME students in the Humanities, and one in Human Rights Law for students from sub-Saharan Africa.  These are just a few examples.

We are proud of our black students and the part which they play in our community, and will continue our longstanding access work.  We will support and facilitate discussion events and continue to educate ourselves.  We will work with each other to listen and support in the ways which are needed, and we will consider how to change our procedures to ensure that we are not tolerating racism in any form.  Pembroke is committed to this agenda, but we acknowledge that there is much more to do.

Lynne Brindley
Master