Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics commitment to anti-racism

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The following message has been communicated to all students of Modern Languages at Kent.

The Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics is committed to the principles of racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic equality. We oppose racism in all its forms. We stand in solidarity with the family of George Floyd and the families of the many other Black and Indigenous lives lost to police brutality in the US. We deplore the inexcusable BAME deaths from Covid-19 in the UK. We deplore the impact that racism has and has had all over the world, in the UK and our communities here in Kent. We stand and kneel with people in the US, in the UK and across the globe calling for social justice.

We recognise our responsibility as a Department to address systemic inequalities that exist within our practices, and to fight racism and the legacy of colonialism wherever we witness it.

We have been revising our curriculum, research and policies to ensure equality. We pledge to continue to do so, with increased urgency.  We pledge to increase our efforts in the ongoing diversification of the curriculum, including focusing more extensively on topics related to racism and the fight against it within existing modules. We pledge to prioritise the Student Success project to further address the BAME attainment gap. We pledge to support colleagues and students in confronting their own racial attitudes and ensure we deploy sufficient resources to support students who might have experienced racist victimisation.

We realise that these are only a drop in the ocean. Remember that we are always here if you need to talk, do not hesitate to write to your student adviser or to Dr Alvise Sforza Tarabochia, the Head of Department, at a.sforza-tarabochia@kent.ac.uk .

If you want to know more, we have put together a list of resources you might find useful:

Browse:

Read:

  • DiAngelo, R. White Fragility
  • Kendi, I. X. How to Be an Anti-Racist
  • Alexander, M. The New Jim Crow
  • Wilson, M. and K. Russell Divided Sisters
  • Morrison, T. The Bluest Eye
  • Lowery, W. The Can’t Kill Us All
  • Angelou, M. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
  • Roberts, D. Fatal Invention
  • Forman, J. Locking Up Our Own
  • Guiner, L. and G. Torres The Miner’s Canary
  • Fanon, F. The Wretched of the Earth
  • Hurston, Z. N. Their Eyes Were Watching God

Watch:

  • American Son (Netflix)
  • Dear White People (Netflix)
  • King in the Wilderness (HBO)
  • See You Yesterday (Netflix)
  • The Hate You Give (Cinemax)
  • When they See Us (Netflix)

Act:

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