The Black at Sussex project launched in 2022. It aims to improve the experience of Black students and staff at Sussex, through ongoing research, events and initiatives.
Black at Sussex has three main objectives.
Black at Sussex launched with an event at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, involving members of the University of Sussex, Black Cultural Archives and notable figures from arts and culture. The Black Cultural Archives was founded by Sussex alumnus and curator of Black British history, the late Len Garrison: the event recognised and celebrated his life and work, and marked the beginning of the University’s collaboration with the UK’s home of Black British History.
Black at Sussex is driven by a Project Lead and a steering group that includes students and staff who work across the University of Sussex.
Our list of organisations offering products and services to Black and Global majority people in Sussex
Meet the Black at Sussex Project Lead and Steering Committee
The Black at Sussex project is constantly evolving.
We want to celebrate our Black alumni, and encourage and welcome alumni returning to engage with our current Sussex students.
Sussex alumni have been involved with Black at Sussex since the launch. We’ve commissioned a series of portraits of some of our Black alumni, taken by Charlie Philips and Eddie Otchere. The first five portraits were exhibited in the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts in autumn 2023 and visited by staff, students, alumni and members of the public.
Read more about the project and see some of the photography in this blog post for the ‘Writing Race’ series by Sussex alumna Valerie Kporye.
Black at Sussex has a modest budget for activations that help further our overarching goal of improving the experiences of Black students and staff, as well as our three core objectives.
We encourage proposals from both internal and external individuals, groups and organisations.
Our Steering Committee has ringfenced funding for three types of activation: please make your proposal using the relevant form.
We have set aside £5,000 from our funding budget specifically to support students and staff members with innovative research ideas, projects or initiatives that align with our mission and objectives. The funding is designed to provide additional financial support for existing or new projects that require extra resources.
Standard request: Up to £1,000.
Exceptional cases: Up to £1,500 (for high-impact proposals).
Some examples of relevant costs include:
Complete the Black at Sussex internal funding request form. You'll need to include:
We run a rolling deadline: applications will be reviewed every six weeks.
We have set aside £5,000 from our funding budget specifically to support small grassroots Black-led organisations to collaborate with Black at Sussex. It provides accessible funding to organisations that contribute to educational, cultural and community-based initiatives aligned with our mission and objectives.
Standard request: Up to £500.
Exceptional cases: Up to £1,000 (for significant impact projects).
Some examples of relevant activities include:
Complete the Black at Sussex external funding request form. You'll need to include:
We run a rolling deadline: applications will be reviewed every six weeks.
We have set aside £3,000 from our funding budget specifically to support Black guest lecturers who bring expertise and knowledge to existing University of Sussex modules, or cover topics of significant value which are not currently part of any course or module. Our objective is to encourage and introduce Black guest lecturers to the university.
Our fee structure is aligned with University guidelines.
Black at Sussex will match the university fee structure outlined below, to provide a maximum total fee of £400 per lecture with £140 for travel expenses.
Speaker fee: £200 per lecture
Travel reimbursement: Up to £70 for travel expenses.
Black at Sussex will pay a maximum fee of £400 per lecture with £140 for travel expenses
Complete the Black at Sussex Guest Lecturer funding request form. You'll need to include:
We run a rolling deadline: applications will be reviewed every six weeks.
If you have an alternative idea which does not fit in to the three categories above, you can still submit a proposal to us by completing the form below.
At Black at Sussex we believe in the power of collaboration to achieve shared goals. Because of this we are committed to establishing collaborative partnerships with Black led organisations. If you would like to be considered as a Black at Sussex partner please reach out to blackatsussex@sussex.ac.uk.
See all the latest Black at Sussex news
All Black at Sussex events, and associated events, will be listed here.
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If you would like to share suggestions or feedback, or get involved in any capacity from volunteer to steering committee, we are always keen to hear from you. Please email blackatsussex@sussex.ac.uk
If you would like to share your experiences as a student or staff member, you can request a call back or an in-person meetup. Please email blackatsussex@sussex.ac.uk
