1) In 2020, I and 9 other Black women involved in research wrote to @UKRI not to ask for tokenistic representation or quick fixes to systemic and structural inequity, but to ask for meaningful engagement, for subject experts & those with lived experience to co-create change

https://twitter.com/UKRI_News/status/1719399079078228053

2) We asked for ways of working that were accountable and transparent. This period of time stimulated change, but the power imbalance was never really addressed and the core issues remained. Who gets to decide when freedom of speech must be defended or shut down?

1) Who gets to define and decide what is responsible and what is not? In the research and HE sector, these decisions are often made in arenas that (intentionally or unconsciously) exclude the most marginalised. These systems perpetuate inequity & prevent learning cultures 2) Recently Drs @wunpini_fm @odanga_r @PaperWhispers @Illustrious_Cee @DrFuraha_Asani @RuthAgbakoba wrote an open letter to @ASRJournal highlighting their concern over a recently published article

https://twitter.com/wunpini_fm/status/1526992812905996290?s=20&t=cYov8lxGco-tUFaMbntngw

1) How to avoid accountability in the English Context 101. A process of looking good, whilst doing bad. Established since 1500 ish 2) So with great care and caution (because they know the risks) an individual has called out your work or action as being wildly inappropriate. They do this using facts, data and records of your own words. It will probably be a Black or Ethnic minority woman.

1) When talking about unequal representation of workforce or students it can be useful to talk about the disproportionate over-representation of certain groups rather than the disproportionate underrepresentation of others 2) I do this to flip the power dunamic and focus. Especially when environments seem over comfortable with talking about Blackness, women, disabled students lgbt students etc. But who get squirmish whenever whitness, men, heterosexuality or non-disabled people are mentioned

1) I have not engaged in the @UKRI_News inclusion because of the concerns over process I raised to them in January which have not yet been addressed. It might seem wild, just putting it out there - but I believe an inclusion review must be inclusive. 2) @UKRI_News published their 5-year strategy before submissions to review of the inclusion strategy had even Closed. Wild idea 2 - if you are very much committed to inclusion - you might want to consider waiting for your inclusion review to be included rather than excluding it

1) Hi there's still an opportunity to listen to my interview with @ bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00… I really appreciated the opportunity to speak directly to @MelanieWelham about @UKRI_News inclusion stratategy. There is an important part that was edited out however...... 2) In the interview I noted that I have not yet contributed to @UKRI_News inclusion strategy review. I noted that I had written to UKRI and asked that my concerns over the process for the inclusion review were directly communicated to @MelanieWelham (i did this on 6th Jan 2022)

1) it's a well established tradition that in race and race related work. Terms are created to help our liberation/ cause; then our opponents take these terms; describe them as something they are not; and the use that same term against us. This has been written about by many 2) Did you know? - 'secularism' was a concept first created by a Muslim government to protect minority faiths. 'Identity politics' was powerfully utilised by Black feminists, gay rights and disability activists to highlight how the personal & political are intrinsically entwined

I @AddyAdelaine feature in @BBCNews today with @seis_matters, @dj_kemist, and @scarlett_jazmin highlighting racial disparity in research and science. I feel it is really important that I repeat this is not a new issue and there are some incredible scholars working on this issue The answer isn't simple and it requires more than good intentions "there is this whole plethora of knowledge and expertise and passion that is right there and could be utilised". If you think about this subject for the first time today and believe you have come up with an answer

The .UK race Commission inquiry is out now. It says the UK is a model of racial equality. This is the inquiry that emerged after the death of George Flloyd and Breonna Taylor led to BLM protests and numerous acts of transnational solidarity last year. It is also the inquiry which was legally challenged as the person leading it was appointed without application & was well known for stating he did not believe in racism / for saying things about how high arrest rates among Black men was caused by their mothers demonising them.