University announces new partnership to help tackle racial harassment

Anthony Walker

The University of Liverpool is proud to announce a new partnership with The Anthony Walker Foundation to help with the ongoing work to build a more inclusive campus for all students and staff.

Last year, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released a report entitled ‘Tackling racial harassment: Universities challenged’. This report laid bare some startling truths about the higher education sector. In particular, that racial harassment was underreported, reporting mechanisms were ineffectual, and our sector was not doing enough to stamp out discrimination wherever it may manifest.

The EHRC report formed the catalyst for an examination into the University’s work in building a more equitable and welcoming campus. In response to the EHRC report a working group was set up, led by Professor Fiona Beveridge, with an aim of developing initiatives to empower all students and staff to report harassment, and to understand how we can ensure students and staff feel confident complaints will be dealt with effectively.

Over the last year this group also looked at the role students and staff should play in building a more equitable culture on campus and the visibility of the University’s commitment to anti-racist practice to staff, students, and the wider community. This work resulted in the publication of the ‘Tackling Racial Harassment: Universities Challenged – A University of Liverpool Response’ report, and, as part of this work, the University has entered into a new partnership with The Anthony Walker Foundation to support training, reporting and community engagement work.

A trusted partner

The Anthony Walker Foundation was established in 2005 after the racially motivated murder of Anthony in Huyton, just outside of Liverpool. Anthony’s family and friends did not want his murder to be another statistic and wanted his name to live on with a positive, lasting legacy.
The Anthony Walker Foundation works to tackle racism, hate crime and discrimination by providing educational opportunities, victim support services and by promoting equity and inclusion for all.

The partnership with The Anthony Walker Foundation will help the University in its EHRC related work in a number of ways including:

• Providing vital expertise for the University’s training and public engagement work
• Helping to develop a more holistic picture of hate crime in Liverpool through sharing intelligence more effectively
• Providing insight on how policy development at the University can comprehensively embed race equity

Professor Fiona Beveridge, said: “We are extremely proud to be announcing this partnership and we are looking forward to the positive impact both our organisations will have working together.

“The Anthony Walker Foundation is a trusted partner who can be objective in telling us where we need to better, supporting us to enhance a culture of inclusivity on campus, and allow our students to benefit from new avenues of insight, support, and advice.”

Ben Osu, Strategy & Communications Lead, Anthony Walker Foundation, said: “We are pleased to be working with the University of Liverpool on what will be a significant and integral journey to improve the lives of staff, students and the wider community. We hope the partnership will bring about truly honest conversations, effective action and sincere accountability on this journey to tackle and dismantle the systemic and structural racism that blights our society.”

The University’s ‘‘Tackling Racial Harassment: Universities Challenged – A University of Liverpool Response’ report can be found here.