This branch notes

·  The University of Chichester has suspended recruitment for the masters by research (MRes) course on African History and the Diaspora and made its programme leader Professor Hakim Adi redundant.

·  Professor Adi is a world-leading expert in the History of Africa and the African Diaspora and the first person of African descent to become Professor of History in the UK.

·  The MRes and Professor Adi’s mentorship plays a unique role in empowering students of African and Caribbean heritage – many of them mature – to train as historians.

This branch believes

·  the programme closure is an attack on the right of Black students to study and is a product of the systemic racism of UKHE;

·  the case against Prof Adi’s dismissal is an important case for how Black students and academics are treated and the degree to which they are able to progress in UKHE.

This branch resolves to

·  Join the list of supporters to the Save MRes campaign, which is supporting Prof Adi’s grievance against his dismissal and calling for the reinstatement of the programme;

·  Donate £500 to the campaign’s GoFundMe and encourage other branches to do likewise;

·  Call on the GS to instruct UCU legal team to provide support to Prof Adi’s case against unfair dismissal on the basis of its significance for racial justice in UKHE

Read more: https://www.historymatters.online/save-mres-campaign

Sign the petition: here 

adopted 11 September 2023