Statement from the University on anti-racism

In light of the traumatic effect of the killing of George Floyd, and the global focus it has brought to communities and organisations to take further action on racism, the University is reaffirming its unequivocal abhorrence of and opposition to racism against Black and Minority Ethnic people and discrimination in all its forms. We are committed to addressing systemic racism wherever it may be found, including within our own community. The University has, as Britain does, a history that is marked by colonialism and imperialism. The recent protests have also brought a renewed focus on this era of Oxford's history. Groups such as the staff and student Oxford and Colonialism Working Group, established in 2016, demonstrate how we can and must continue to engage the University's historical links with imperialism. The University relies on bringing the very best minds from across the world together, whatever their race, gender, religion or background to create new ideas, insights and innovations to change the world for the better. The most effective way we can help address racism and inequality in societies is through our academic research and teaching, including modernising our curriculums, diversifying our academic scholars through the TORCH Global South Visiting Professorships and Fellowships and the Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Visiting Fellows Programme , and investigating crucial areas like why COVID-19 appears to have impacted Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities more than others.