Training overview

Union Black: Britain’s Black Cultures and Steps to Anti-Racism is a free online course that provides insights into Black British history and an understanding of the cultures and experiences of Black people.

The full Union Black programme is a eight hour course, however there is also a one hour overview available. The course is delivered through a mixture of videos, reading materials, and discussion forums, and can be taken at your own pace. There is no assessment element; instead, participants are encouraged to reflect on their own attitudes and values.

The course was developed by the Open University in partnership with Santander Universities UK, in to Universities UK’s Tackling Racial Harassment in Higher Education report. The course aims to dispel myths so as to inform, challenge, and contribute to the anti-racism agenda.

Who is this course for?

At Imperial we have made the Union Black course available to staff and students as part of our broader and ongoing efforts to raise awareness of race inequalities and to promote anti-racism. Recent work examining the College’s history and as part of Race Equality Charter activities has highlighted the value of encouraging dialogue and reflection on the issues of ethnicity and belonging.

How to access the course

You can enrol through the Santander Universities platform. If you need help with the enrollment process, the Open University has provides these instructions on how to sign up.

Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gives a TED talk on 'The Danger of a Single Story'

The Danger of a Single Story

As a taster of the course material, here is a TED talk by Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s on 'The Danger of a Single Story'.