A radical shift in policy and practice is taking place in U.K. Higher Education. Higher education institutions and UKRI Research Councils are now advertising student opportunities with race in the eligibility criteria. To be eligible for such schemes, students must meet a requirement that is based on the immutable characteristic of race. Not socioeconomic status. Not first-generation university student status. These schemes target students who are black (or mixed with black), as in the case of one UKRI student research placement scheme, which states the below eligibility criteria:
These awards are open solely to Black British students (Black or Black British African, Black or Black British Caribbean, Black or Black British other or Mixed Black or Black British). Applicants will self-identify and sign a disclaimer to the effect that the information they provide is correct.
Many will question whether such blatant racial discrimination can be legal, and that needs to be challenged. But I’ve been thinking about this from another angle. The implications of race requirements on student opportunities are not abstract. No doubt some individuals will benefit from such opportunities. But has due consideration been given to some of the issues and implications of such a change in practice?
Race eligibility requirements necessarily imply that being black (or being mixed-race with black) is a disadvantage, and that those who fall into this racial category require extra support and opportunities – regardless of socioeconomic circumstances. While some people believe this (and are entitled to), others do not and would strongly contest such an assertion. Until recently, this was always just a view held by some people. But the practice of race eligibility requirements on opportunities entails that this view is correct and imposes it on students.
There are some obvious issues with using race in eligibility criteria. Not all students (even those the opportunities are aimed at) will welcome them. Some students might find it stigmatising, and some might prefer to be in fair competition with all their peers – not just ones of the same racial background. And some students will feel instinctively uncomfortable about the use of race in eligibility criteria, as they do not routinely consider race or think of themselves or others in terms of racial categories with social significance. That’s certainly how I feel about it.
Race eligibility requirements also present challenges for families. In the case of some families (such as my own), one sibling (Student A) would be eligible whereas another sibling (Student B) would not – as one is mixed-race and the other is white. And this is despite them having had the same upbringing and the same access to social and material resources. This makes no sense, and will be very uncomfortable for the family involved. Not all families will welcome race requirements on student opportunities, and nor should they.
Read More: Why Are British Universities Discriminating on the Basis of Race?
