Union Black: free anti-racism course for students and staff

What's the course about?

The course explores Black cultures in Britain, providing an understanding of Black British history and dispelling myths to inform, challenge and contribute to the anti-racism agenda.

It's the first programme of its kind to be made freely available – so this is an exciting opportunity to gain the knowledge and tools to make positive change happen.

You can complete the course in your own time and at your own pace. It's made up of a mixture of online learning content, discussion forums, reading materials and interactive activities.

Everyone receives a performance certificate upon competition, while students who complete will be in with the chance of being awarded one of 50 Santander £500 development grants to support their studies.

Who's involved?

The programme was developed by leading academics, including Professor Marcia Wilson, Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at The Open University – and former Dean of OIE here at UEL.

The starry list of contributors to the course includes David Olusoga, BAFTA award-winning film-maker, David Lammy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, human rights activist, Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of The Young Vic, and David James MBE, former England goalkeeper.

How do I enrol?

• Visit the Santander Scholarships platform
• Click on the red Enrol button on the right-hand side of the page
• Fill in your details and a confirmation email will be sent to you
• Confirm your email by using the provided link
• This will take you to the Scholarships page. If you don't see the Union Black course listed on the front page, you can click the blue Scholarships tab on the right and then the red/white Filter scholarships button. Search for Union Black and the course will appear. Click on this and choose the red Enrol button on the right
• You'll be directed to an online form – once completed, click Apply (If you are staff, or a student not wishing to apply for the £500 grant, you do not need to upload proof of identity)
• You'll be sent an email from Santander with a link to the FutureLearn platform
• You'll need to register (or sign in) with FutureLearn to gain access to the course and materials

The course is open until Monday 2 May.