Officer Blog: Broaden My Bookshelf

Friday 28-09-2018 - 15:09

Over the past year, the Black, Asian, minority or ethnic (BAME) Ambassadors, have been campaigning to dismantle the BAME attainment gap, as well as ensuring BAME students are represented and their voices are involved in key decision-making committees, to negotiate teaching and learning from a position of authenticity and finally providing a safe space for students who identify as BAME.

During their first year, the BAME Ambassadors were awarded Students’ Union of the Year at the National Union of Students (NUS) Black Students’ Conference and were shortlisted for a further award for campaigning and representation. The BAME Ambassadors are currently planning many projects for the scheme over the new academic year, including the Broaden My Bookshelf campaign as part of Black History Month. With the Broaden My Bookshelf campaign, the BAME Ambassadors are inviting the University community to key events that recognise the Black heritage movement, and present tangible ways in which a partnership can inform teaching and learning, to ensure the curriculum reflects the diversity of the student population and is meaningful.

As Education Officer, the concerns of BAME students are of great interest and importance to me and I will do everything I can to contribute to the campaign. As student and staff of this University, your input is important as you can help make a difference and help drive this campaign forward. In my opinion, any success in tackling the BAME attainment gap or other BAME issues can only be realised by a genuine collaborative effort from all.

As part of Black History Month in October, the Students’ Union is working in collaboration with the Computing and Library services, to increase the range of books available to students which are written by people from a BAME background. To do that we need your help! From 8^th October onwards we are asking all members of the University community to suggest books by BAME authors for the Library to buy. These may be books for a particular course or module, or they may be leisure reading books, the choice is yours.

You can suggest a book online at library.hud.ac.uk or come and drop a Broaden My Bookshelf postcard in the post-box on floor 4 of the library. You can also add if you would like the book to be added to your reading list.

To kick-start Broaden My Bookshelf, the SU and the Library are planning events and readings in the week commencing 8^th October – come along to find out more and join the debate.

Monday 8^th October
Lunchtime Readings from books by BAME authors in the Library
12.15-1.15pm Developing Diverse Reading Lists (Heritage Quay) - Book a place

Tuesday 9^th October
Lunchtime Readings from books by BAME authors in the Library

Wednesday 10^th October
Lunchtime                          Readings from books by BAME authors in the Library
11.15am-1.15pm              Black History Month-themed Wikipedia Editathon (SB3/05) - Book a place
1.15-2.15pm                      Developing Diverse Reading Lists (Heritage Quay) - Book a place

Thursday 11^th October
Lunchtime Readings from books by BAME authors in the Library
12.30-1.00pm Black HERstory feature: Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (Heritage Quay) - Book a place
1.15pm-2.15pm Panel debate with invited speakers: Why is my curriculum white and how do we change it? (Heritage Quay) - Book a place and ask a question

Friday 12^th October
Lunchtime Readings from books by BAME authors in the Library

All of the Huddersfield Students’ Union community, will be working together to make this campaign a success but we need the support of students and staff too. So please come along and participate in the conversations, debates, readings and keynote sessions and help us make change.