Equity in the Workplace: Stories of Black Irish Women in Academia and the Teaching Profession – A snapshot of the panel discussion
On Monday 24th November, the Race Equity Community of Practice welcomed the Irish Special Rapporteur against Racism Dr Ebun Joseph, along with her colleagues Dr Jennifer Okeke and Sola Mobolaji, to the Blanchardstown Campus. They were joined by our colleague Nwabuogo Enwerem (Ogo), for a lively and enlightening panel discussion on Equity in the Workplace: Stories of Black Irish Women in Academia and the Teaching Profession. All four panellists contributed chapters to a book published earlier this year. They shared powerful accounts of their lived experiences as Black women in Irish higher education: stories of racial inequities, discrimination, and persistent stereotyping, as well as stories of resilience in navigating barriers at individual, structural and institutional levels.
The session provided an important opportunity for TU Dublin students and staff to listen, learn, and critically reflect on how these experiences can inform our professional practice and collective actions. Their insights also support our institutional commitments that racial inequality exists in higher education. TU Dublin signed the Anti-Racism Principles for Irish Higher Education Institutions in September 2023, and is committed to addressing racism on campus.
The event concluded with remarks from Dr Philip Owende. He spoke of the need for leadership in this regard, for allies to use their voice to speak out in rooms where Black women are not present but also the need to call out inequitable policies and failures to implement the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty.
Sincere thanks to the Community of Practice members who organised the event, also to the EDI Directorate and Internal Communications team for their support.
If you would like to join the Race Equity Community of Practice, please email the lead facilitators Melody.Chinenyanga@tudublin.ie or Katherine.Looby@tudublin.ie