Black History Month - Dr Nighet Riaz
I begin this short piece of writing by sharing a snapshot of my first visit to the campus, followed by why I consider Black History Month and Black History to be important.
I walked through the Gilmorehill Campus in the autumn of 2018 to listen to Judith Butler at the Gifford Lectures in Bute Hall. Although I had lived in Glasgow since 2005 and completed my doctorate at another institution, I had never attempted to go to a lecture series at the university until a friend and doctoral student invited me to attend the Gifford lectures with her. In my mind there was an invisible ‘force field’ protecting the campus, only letting the ‘worthy’ in. From that reasoning, I had very clearly positioned myself as not being ‘worthy’ yet. I made up reasons of my ‘unworthiness’ and the distance I still had to travel to be admitted into this university.
I remember feeling overwhelmed and joyful walking through the main gate without any mishap. The internal conversation was at full speed: ‘I’m in! Oh my!’ to more open expressions of delight and taking photographs on my phone. I felt and acted like a tourist, admiring the beauty of the campus, the illustriousness of the architecture and the serenity bordering on eeriness of the cloisters. My fanciful thoughts made me think that I could fall through a chasm in time and be transported back to earlier times, which could be quite awkward for everyone all round, for so many reasons. Goodness knows, where I would end up and if they had ever seen a person of colour before. Revisiting that moment, and what I know now is that some academics who were of different ethnic heritages did make it through the ‘force field’ and left a legacy which is now recognised and embedded into the physical structures of the university, be that the James McCune Smith building, the collections at the Hunterian, or the Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies, the James McCune lectures and the Racial Justice lectures.
Black History Month in the United Kingdom takes place in October where the whole month is dedicated to stories celebrating the ethnic diversity in our midst as well as highlighting the work that is needed to tackle racism in all its forms, be it interpersonal or systematic.
For one month a year, I and many others get to learn of different histories which sit alongside histories which are from British, European, and American histories. In Black History Month, we get to hear stories of individuals from Afro Caribbean heritage, South Asian heritage, and their contributions to society, to science, to education and medicine. It is also a platform to share current affairs, and injustices, which occur around us.
Black History month is an opportunity for others to learn about us, where we come from, that we too have rich histories and cultures, and histories which intersect with Britain and Europe over the centuries.
My parents are from Pakistan, and I was born in the UK in the 1960s. However, it is only recently in the last 15 years, when I returned to education as a mature student and community activism that I became aware of the different versions of history, which store of knowledge was prioritised; and who benefitted from these stories and who were left behind.
As a new member of staff, who joined a few weeks ago, I can see how the University of Glasgow support and promote Black History Month with external partners CRER across the institution and the community within which it sits. Yet, it is the internal facing work following the reports on slavery (2018) and understanding racism (2020) which interest me. It is that journey and the actualisation of the commitment by the Principal and the Senior Management Team towards racial and social justice. The naming of a new building and lecture series, based on the legacy of James McCune Smith, and the prominence of acknowledging racism, and putting in steps towards addressing racism through action and accountability drew me to apply for a position within the institution, and desire to work with like-minded individuals who want to be part of that cultural change, where parallel histories and knowledge are not single sessions once a month, but embedded into everyday practise, in our learning and teaching, in all our disciplines, and how we conduct ourselves 365 days a year instead of 30.
– I feel as if I have joined as the university is on the cusp of a second enlightenment period, one I can align with, and recognise myself being part of, as we move forward owning our place and our deeds in history to create a better future for all of us.
Dr Nighet Riaz has taken up the new post as Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy Officer at the University of Glasgow.
In her previous role as Programme Advisor at Advance HE, she successfully co-led 2 projects. The first with Khadija Mohammed, raising the awareness of race, racism, and whiteness across the tertiary education sector and the second with Sue Clyne, tackling the underrepresentation of ethnic diversity in the workforce on behalf of the Scottish Funding Council. The Declaration that emerged from the project was nationally endorsed by the Minister for Further and Higher Education and Sciences, Mr Richard Lochhead, and the university and college sector in August 2021.
Details of the Scottish Funding Council funded and Advance HE led race equality and anti-racism projects:
Nighet is also a member of the executive committee for the Advance HE Anti-Racist Curriculum Project:
She completed her PhD in sociology of education, exploring the experiences of minority ethnic young people as they transitioned across and out of compulsory education and the pathways they could access from further or higher education, employment, or training in 2016.
Written by Dr Nighet Riaz.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Officer at UofG