The fight for racial equality: LJMU staff meet activist and author Angela Saini

With racism in history hitting the headlines, the award-winning science journalist and author has been prompting debates on racism in science and academia in a series of talks across the UK. We were delighted to take part in this special event, alongside the University of Liverpool (who hosted the session) and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
 
The Network Chairs invited SLT members to ask questions of Angela and to discuss how we can all combat structural racism within our respective institutions. The session was chaired by James Lea who is Chair of the LGBT+ Staff and Postgraduate Network at the University of Liverpool (UoL).
 
Diversity and Equality Leads from UoL posed questions to Angela, who presents radio and television programmes on the BBC and whose writing has appeared in The Sunday Times, Nature, New Scientist, National Geographic and Wired.
 
Her two-part documentary series for BBC Four about the history and science of eugenics aired in autumn 2019 and was a pick of the day in a number of national newspapers. Her latest book, Superior: The Return of Race Science, published in 2019 was named a book of the year by the Financial Times, Guardian and Sunday Times and won the Transmission Prize.
 
Her previous book, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong was published in 2017.
 
Angela says: "I've been signed up to do online Q&As at a number of universities over the next few months. The aim is to facilitate frank and open discussions about racism in science and academia. Details will be going up on my website."
 
Welcoming her virtual visit Dr Tori Sprung, an exercise science researcher at LJMU, tweeted: "Her book Superior about systematic racism that pervades science, medicine and academic is incredible. This is an important and timely discussion."
 
The event was then followed by an insightful Q&A session with Angela.