- Monday, June 05, 2023
By: Pooja Shrivastava
BRITAIN’s first Black Studies professor has labelled his university “institutionally racist”, claims a media report on Sunday (13), saying that the place has discriminatory recruitment practices and race biases.
Professor Kehinde Andrews has raised allegations against Birmingham City University for failing to address his complaint of racism against a senior colleague, Independent said in a report which also mentions his claim that he has been “frozen out” of decision-making after voicing concerns about potentially discriminatory recruitment practices.
“My dignity at work has been deeply undermined based on racist assumptions that I have spent my life having to avoid,” the 38-year-old said, adding that he is treated like an “uppity negro” who should always be grateful for everything and stop complaining.
Claiming that discrimination has worsened since he began leading Britain’s first and only Black Studies undergraduate course in 2017, Andrews said that his status and public profile does not insulate him from racism.
“A black professor is still black, so I’m not really surprised at all by this but it’s no fun to actually go through it,” he said. “The more successful and high-profile, the bigger the target on your back.”
Alleging his university of not expanding Black Studies as a legitimate research area, Andrews said his university leadership has labelled him “insubordinate”.
“It all feels like a witch hunt over a series of years with the purpose to get rid of me,” Andrew said. “I have exhausted all the internal remedies and now, where do I actually go?”
He also claimed that his elevation to professor was “a PR thing” from the university, while he himself received little support.
A frequent commentator on race issues in media and otherwise, Andrews recently called on the Queen by commenting that she is “probably the number one symbol of white supremacy in the entire world” on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
Meanwhile, a Birmingham City University spokesperson has refuted “any allegations of ill-treatment” but did not want to add further comments saying “legal action … is currently underway”.
