Following the murder of George Floyd, and the distress this has caused on an international level, Falmouth & Exeter Students' Union stands in solidarity with all of the individuals and organisations fighting against the continuing narrative of extreme inequality affecting the lives of black people around the world. We also share your concern about the disproportionate mortality and morbidity of Covid-19 amongst Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, as well as your anger at the recent death and hate crime against Belly Mujinga in London. We cannot begin to understand the toll such racism has on our black students, but we can do everything in our power to create an inclusive and supportive Union which stands against all forms of oppression.

We have received an influx of correspondence from students expressing concerns about this latest tragic event and requesting we take action. We thank you for vocalising your concerns to us and promise to increase our resolve to combat inequality. The diversity that students of Falmouth University and the University of Exeter bring to this area of Cornwall is fundamental to the growth of the local community, and we will do everything we can to empower black members to thrive. The Students’ Union would like to support our students at this distressing time and ask you to help us create change.

Equality is always a priority for us, and we understand the necessity to continually and actively challenge our procedures and diversify our opportunities. Therefore, we pledge to keep this conversation going, create positive action, support our students in campaigning for equality, and constantly review the treatment of our students of colour. To begin with, we will focus on the following:

• We will entrench Black History Month in our Students’ Union calendar
• We will ensure our Liberation Council is active, effective, and representative
• We will review our support for students of colour
• We will engage with the student voice and devise a strategic plan that will have a true and lasting impact for our BAME members
• We recognise what is happening, we care, and we vow to take action.
• We also understand that many of you will want to join the protests taking place as a stand of solidarity, however we would urge you to take care. We are still in the midst of a pandemic and we ask that you please take all measures to protect yourselves and others in the light of the risk posed by Covid-19.

If you have been affected by anything mentioned in this statement, please contact the university Wellbeing Team on 01326 370460 or studentservices@fxplus.ac.uk. Mental health services can also be accessed through the UniWellbeing App and Papyrus on 0800 068 4141. If you, or anyone you know, have been victim to a hate crime or incident, you can report this through Falmouth & Exeter Speak Out page here. For student community support, please contact The SU's ACS.

We are here for you. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know by emailing info@thesu.org.uk.

Visit the Black Lives Matter website

Get involved in the BLM movement