The event, titled Creating the space, the voice and the opportunities to demonstrate Black excellence, took place at the University of Bristol and featured talks and panel discussions on key issues facing Black scholars.
The conference included the launch of a new report which highlights ongoing challenges and recommends more targeted mentoring programmes and recognition of the extra work many Black academics take on.
Dr Faatihah Niyi-Odumosu, Associate Professor in Health Promotion at University of the West of the England, attended the conference and said: “The SBA conference was an enriching experience, providing valuable knowledge, networking opportunities, and professional growth. I made new contacts and look forward to attending future events.”
One of the organisers, Dr Ope Aiyenitaju, SBA’s Education Manager, said: "There’s a special joy in achieving success together. Our recent conference held at the University of Bristol, was both enriching and inspiring. My biggest takeaway was recognising the power of understanding our own voice in order to truly understand others. However, we must first have the space to cultivate and strengthen that voice.”
Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, gave a keynote address on creating opportunities for Black excellence in higher education. She said: “The University of Bristol is working with other institutions on ‘Barriers to Black Academia’ and it was a privilege to open the Society of Black Academics annual conference at Bristol. I was excited to see the collective ambition and talent in the room. We look forward to working with the Society to remove conscious and unconscious barriers to success for Black academic colleagues, both here in Bristol and beyond.“
Attendees heard from senior university leaders, early career researchers and experts on topics like career development, understanding the power of a voice, mental health, engaging with practitioners, and increasing Black representation in academia.
Professor Bernadine Idowu, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at University of West London, who was part of a panel on Creating spaces – finding myself and finding a deeper career purpose said: “I felt honoured to be invited to be a panellist at the prestigious conference. It is very important wherever I am invited to, I must deliver hope to early career researchers, by sharing tools that have worked for me to successfully navigate a senior position in academia. Judging by the number of people that spoke to me on the day and have connected with on LinkedIn, I believe my mission was successful.”
Steven Kator Iorfa, SBA’s Events Manager, added: "The conference was a resounding success. What I enjoyed most was witnessing the vibrant exchange of ideas and the sense of community among our delegates, speakers and partners.”
The Society of Black Academics was founded in 2020 to support and advocate for UK Black scholars. It runs networking events, mentoring programs, and produces research on racial equity in higher education.
This was the SBA's 4th annual conference. Previous events have been attended by academics from Australia, Finland, USA, Ghana, Nigeria and the UK, among others.
Black academics remain underrepresented in UK universities, especially at senior levels. Recent data shows 3.4% of UK academic staff identify as Black, compared to 4% of the overall population. At the professor level, only 0.8% are Black.
However, some progress is being made. The number of Black professors in the UK increased by 25% last year, from 165 to 210. Programs like targeted PhD studentships and leadership development initiatives aim to build a stronger pipeline.
The University of Bristol offers dozens of scholarships and bursaries, including the Black Bristol Scholarship Programme.
The SBA plans to continue expanding its work. In November, there will be an event designed to empower black academics to work with and provide evidence to support parliamentary practitioners and policymakers, facilitated by the Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) at the Houses of Parliament. For more information on the Society please see their website here.