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Race Equality Network

Upcoming events: Black History Month

 Friday 25th October 6pm - Reclaiming narratives in film, music and literature.

Join us for an interview and q&a on campus with Kugali CEO Hamid Ibrahim, Creative Director Ziki Adeola, and President Tolu Olowofoyeku  – the makers of Iwájú, an afrofuturistic series from Kugali and Disney Animation, set in Lagos, Nigeria. The series explores themes of inequality and class divide. Check out Disney's Response when they heard Kugali was set to outperform them.  

The event will also include a discussion with Dr. Annabel Sowemimo about her book Divided: Racism, Medicine and Decolonising Healthcare, and a musical performance by R&B artist Rachel Huggins.

Sylvie Carlos is charing this event – PGR Harold Moody Scholar, Sylvie is a multi-award-winning radio/podcast producer and consultant who has unapologetically focused on amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities, with a particular interest in Black-British stories.

Find out more and sign up here

What is the Race Equality Network (REN)

The Race Equality Network (REN) at King's College London is a community network created and led by dedicated staff and PGR students who volunteer their personal time, alongside their regular job duties and responsibilities, to oversee its functions. 

REN exists to build connections and community for staff and PGR students from racially minoritised backgrounds at King’s but is open to all. We welcome allies who play an important role in supporting diverse staff at King’s.

As a network, we signpost events we support, organise events for community groups and beyond. We also hold community mixers for members who wish to build connections with those of similar heritage or background.

We have also worked with PGT & UG students on various projects in the past and plan do so again soon

REN Structure

REN is composed of four branches:

  • REN Committee
  • King's Senior Supporters
  • REN Wider Network
  • PGT & UG Collaborations 

 

REN Committee

REN is led by three co-chairs and supported by a committee. We are looking to expand the committee which will enable us to provide even greater support to our community. 

The committee oversees the day-to-day operations of the network, ensuring its continued functioning. It is comprised of both King's staff (professional services and academics) as well as PGR students, all of whom are dedicated to the success of REN.

REN Senior Supporters

REN is a King's College London community network. All community networks at King's have, what we call, 'senior supporters'. We call them that because they attend many important senior management meetings at King's and can represent us in those spaces. We turn to them for mentorship, advice and support from time to time.  

Wider network and how to join

You can join the network as wider network member

What does being a wider network member involve? 

Wider Network members will have access to the Race Equality Network MS Team where we post information about upcoming events, and opportunities for those across the network to meet and connect with other colleagues at King's. 

What does being a member of a community group involve? 

Wider network members wishing to build connections with those of similar heritage or background can join a REN community group to connect with each other.  We will only use and retain the information you provide below to contact you about the Race Equality Network.

To join a community group or just REN, please click here

Collaborations

The network is a King's College London staff and PGR student network. However, we have also worked with many UG and PGT students on various projects across the years. Our events are open to everyone at King's and we have also, for example, offered UG & PGT students the opportunity to chair many of our events with high profile speakers (BAFTA winners, authors, actors, directors etc) in the past. We look forward to continued collaborations.

Thank you

We are still in contact with many people who used to work at King's and were part of REN but have now left. These are people who have contributed greatly to our network. We maintain collaboration opportunities and friendships with many of these amazing people outside of King's. We want to thank the following REN family who have now left:

  • Whitney Robinson - former REN co-chair
  • Rebecca Brown - former REN committee member
  • Mike Bankole - former REN committee member 
  • V.J. Sidhu - former REN committee member
  • Rajbir Hazelwood - former REN senior supporter
  • Olivia T. - former REN committee member 
  • Alexandria Mitchell - former REN co-chair
  • Olivia Hylton-Pennant - former committee member
  • Jalal Afhim - former REN co-chair
  • Saffy Williams - former REN co-chair

Events

Ongoing events - May and June 2024

  • REN ESEA - led by Jonathan 
  • REN Black Community at King's - led by Lola and Tamara 
  • REN SA (South Asian) Heritage Community - led by Nima and Roma 
  • REN Latin X & Hispanic Community - Led by Rosana and Jenny 
  • REN Multi-Ethnic Group - led by Jenny and Mariam 
  • REN Book Club 
  • REN Film Club
  • REN Social

Past events

We are currently updating our website, so for now here's a brief history of some of our achievements (we will publish the full history, future events and projects soon)

Wednesday 9th October 6pm - REN's Reclaiming Narratives Archive & Staff Panel Event

Join us for a two-part event focusing on Reclaiming Narratives. The first panel discussion will focus on Reclaiming Histories and the second panel discussion Celebrating Black Scholars where we will engage in meaningful discussions around representation and storytelling. The event features a diverse lineup, including Geoff Browell from KCL Libraries, Lecturer Hannah Ishmael, and Beverley Mason from the Friends of the Huntley Archives. Additionally, academic voices like Dr. Nessa Keddo, Keisha York, Dr. Alexander Douglas, and Saffron Powell will contribute their perspectives. This event promises to inspire and challenge our understanding of narratives in our communities. Find out more and sign up here!

 

Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th October - Black History Walking Tour

Tuesday 15th October 3pm to 5pm -This tour led by Rod Westmaas who delivers the Black Legacies: Westminster Trail. Only 20 spaces sign up here.

Wednesday 16th October and Thursday 17th October between 4-6PM with Kelly Foster with 15 spaces. If interested register your interest here.

 

Rules of Engagement 

We extend our gratitude to Jalal, a former member of REN, who proposed the Rules of Engagement concept. These rules were developed in response to past instances where our work was utilised without consent or acknowledgement. 

  • Seek permission and give credit where credit is due 

Should you wish to utilise any of our work/images/footage/projects, we kindly request that you seek permission by contacting us at RaceEqualityNetwork@kcl.ac.uk and await confirmation before proceeding. 

  • No tick-box exercise

We have been approached by many people at King's over the years. If your role within your department/school/faculty at King's includes an EDI component and you're interested in collaborating with us, we welcome the opportunity. Collaboration is something we greatly value. However, we kindly ask that you provide clear details regarding the project, your own intended contribution to that project and what you are seeking from REN. We are eager to ensure that our collaborations are genuine, meaningful and have purpose, avoiding merely being a tick-box exercise. 

  • Collaborations and Black History Month

We receive numerous fantastic collaboration requests during Black History Month, particularly from staff members with roles involving student engagement, communications, and/or that have an EDI component, from across various departments/schools/faculties at King's. We greatly appreciate this interest and engagement.  

However, we're committed to ensuring that these collaborations are not merely symbolic gestures. Therefore, if you're interested in participating in Black History Month activities (and you have one of the staff roles outlined above), we kindly ask that you also detail the initiatives undertaken by you/your department/school/faculty throughout the year, including involvement in other commemorative months such as South Asian Heritage Month, East & South East Asian Heritage Month, Holocaust Memorial Day, and others.

Contact and how to join

To contact the network, please email raceequalitynetwork@kcl.ac.uk

To join the network, please complete our registration form.