The UK’s answer to HBCUs is coming – and it’s going to disrupt centuries of outmoded, western education

After all, it was under the traditional system that the foundations of the rationalisation of empire, enslavement and colonisation were developed

Melz Owusu, incoming Cambridge-PhD student and founder of the Free Black University told Seun Matiluko that ‘the western university is not fit for purpose’ (Getty Images)

Education has become a hot topic as of late. A rallying cry of some of the recent Black Lives Matter protesters has been that education is the root to removing racism from society, with some pointing out that black people continue to face inequality of outcome within the education sector.

Although some freedom of information requests indicate that those of immediate black West African descent do better than the national average at GCSE, our government data suggests that by A-Level time, black kids are one of the groups least likely to get three As or more. What’s worse is that regardless of heritage, black kids are the group most likely to get the "lowest percentage accuracy" when it comes to predicting A level grades, which has a negative impact on the quality and range of university choices for black students.

By the time they get to university, black students are the group least likely to get a 2.1 or a first, and some institutions have found that this is the case even when controlling for socio-economic class. Black students are also more likely to drop out of university than their peers. There have been gradual improvements, but many would like more immediate solutions to these racial disparities within the education sector, with some believing that the curriculum is a key reason why they persist at university.

In extensive research conducted by Universities UK and the NUS, it was documented that in 2011, 42 per cent of "BAME" students did not feel the “curriculum reflects issues of diversity, equality and discrimination.” Due to this, many students, perhaps most famously at SOAS University of London, have tried to facilitate change, or “decolonisation,” by putting the “canon” in context, i.e. interrogating the teaching of curricula and why historically marginalised voices are often erased from it.

However, as Melz Owusu, incoming Cambridge-PhD student and founder of the Free Black University (FBU) tells me, “the western university is not fit for purpose.”

After all, it was inside the university that the white supremacist ideas that laid the foundations for the British Empire to rationalise enslavement and colonisation were developed – from David Hume to Francis Galton. And although I think that, despite their dark histories, it can be possible to work against racial inequality within the university, Owusu's team, made up of students and former students, are steadfast in the belief that true institutional and societal change can only come if they “create something that sits outside of it.”

Instead of trying to reform existing universities, they want to revolutionise society, hoping to raise at least £250,000 for the creation of the FBU. Under its name, they plan to inter alia: create an educational podcast, facilitate conferences and online lectures and eventually purchase a physical space.

Believing that “the purpose of education is the fundamental transformation of society,” the organisers want to create a space where black people, regardless of their gender/sex/sexuality/religion/age etc… can freely produce, spread and discuss ideas with one another about how to rid the world of anti-black racism. The university is not about job-making but about imagining a new world.

Although some Twitter users have remarked that this is tantamount to apartheid, to me this seems more akin to the idea behind the formation of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in America – to provide a space for formally subjugated black populations to liberate themselves through education. Or even like the, at one time very popular, black supplementary schools we have in the UK, like Dalston’s African Community School, which has long provided a space for black people to learn outside of the mainstream educational establishment.

“Safe spaces” are not just an invention of the “woke left,” but in actuality, have been utilised by black people in the western world for generations in a bid to counteract racism and racial inequality. Nevertheless, the key distinction with the FBU is that its organisers see themselves as more radical – they are not trying to mimic the current educational framework, but are creating something new.

Although people of any race are welcome to engage with the FBU when it gets up and running, the university will be run by and for black people. However, it is questionable the extent to which this project will be for all black people. As I pointed out to Owusu during our discussion, although many black people want a change of pace when it comes to education, many will have different ideas about how these changes should take place.

After all, although the vast majority of black British people vote for the Labour party, likely due to the alternative having a woeful past and present when it comes to standing firmly against anti-black racism, some societal indicators suggest that the black British community is, on average, quite socially conservative. What of those black people who don’t believe that “liberation” will come by following a “black, queer, trans, anti-colonial” agenda that puts “climate justice” at the forefront? Doesn’t this project risk alienating them? Owusu is clear, “the politics are the politics,” although viewpoint diversity is welcome. "If somebody comes into the space and doesn’t respect” what they’re trying to do they’re welcome to disengage – the organisers behind the FBU are not going to coddle anyone.

In any event, many people are very excited about Owusu's plans – thus far the FBU has received over £77,000 in support from people of all races who feel like the time is now for radical change. Even Ava Duvernay, Academy Award-nominated director, has tweeted in support. They all seem to agree with Owusu's sentiment that this project will “help transform the world.” And maybe the world will change.

While the current pandemic has left many feeling disheartened, as we come out of this first wave, it seems that we are entering into a new era. A new era where, more than ever before, people are proclaiming proudly that Black Lives Matter, and where organisations, like the Free Black University, are springing up to try and inspire long-lasting anti-racist change within our society.

Second wave notwithstanding, maybe, just maybe, we’ll emerge into a more hopeful future.

For more information about The Free Black University, click here