Tag: Institutional Racism

The intersection of institutional racism and the Board’s neutrality in times of genocide

Since the founding of the HKU student union there have been several issues that have occupied our attention. These subjects are however not disconnected or separate. There are overarching, fundamental problems with the way our school is run that can be ascribed to the decision-making process of the Board (CvB). Some examples of this are the general lack of transparency around the board’s decision-making, and the absence of meaningful consultation with students and teachers that make up our HKU community. The latter issue contains within it a more damning problem: HKU-policy is written and executed from an overwhelmingly white perspective.

Institutional Racism in HKU

In November of last year, a teacher at HKU-Media resigned because of institutional racism. For years, this teacher experienced comments, questions, and a feeling of loneliness as one of the only teachers of colour. This led to them not feeling welcome at HKU. After years of futile attempts to shine a light on this injustice, they did not see another option other than to resign. The fact that an excellent teacher, and a pillar of support for students of colour, did not feel at home for years is utterly unforgivable.