Dr Nick Cartwright hosts Living Black at University Book Symposium

The event was led by the research team who delivered the Living Black at University report in February 2022.

On Friday, 3 March Dr Nick Cartwright, in coordination with the Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education (CIRLE) and the Centre for Law and Social Justice (LSJ), hosted a symposium on the experience of living Black at University. The symposium explored all non-curriculum aspects of university life, such as residential life or mental health.  

The panellists and speakers were a mix of academics and practitioners from across England , including Jason Arday, Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge, Mia Liyanage, EDI Manager of Students at University of the Arts London and Rebecca O’ Hare, Assistant Director of Residence Life at the University of Leeds.  

Anti-racism is a journey and the papers we heard were all excellent, challenging and forward looking. 

The event was led by the research team who delivered the Living Black at University report in February 2022 (Osaro Otobo, ‘Teleola Cartwright and Dr Nick Cartwright). 

Dr Cartwright told us; “The symposium started out as a call for chapter proposals for a book from Osaro, ‘Teleola, and me.  The call was clear; we wanted chapters that explored every aspect of the student journey, apart from the curriculum, which at the time was receiving all the attention and drawing necessary attention away from the full experience of living Black at university.   

“We were also clear that we wanted solutions focused chapters, avoiding a book that simply aired grievances.  The response to the call was fantastic and we were spoiled for choice.  We selected the very best of what was proposed and every one of those proposals was truly excellent.  As we prepared to finalise our proposal for our preferred publisher the idea of a symposium to bring together the contributors and to showcase their ideas was born.”