Introduction

The neoliberal universities’ attempt at modernity does not extend to examining the Whiteness of academia and how it is sustained in the positions of leadership. The continuous quest for more data and statistics shows the focus has been proving the problem of racism exists instead of exploring what structures are in place that allow the domination of White leadership and the absence of racially minoritised leaders. Although universities are keen to engage in performative activism, little is done to examine White privilege in a meaningful way. The implementation of anti-racism, specifically the advancement of racially minoritised individuals, specifically Black leaders into leadership roles, is rare across the sector (UCU, 2019).

Reporting issues of racism is problematic; racially minoritised staff and students are often inadvertently identified if instances of racism are reported to manager staff in universities (Arday, 2018). This theme focuses on issues pertaining to reporting and processes for empowering racially minoritised staff to report racism in the university setting. Despite grand and generic pledges of anti-racism, little has been done to advance the significant lack of racially minoritised leaders in the universities’ governance, operations and systems (Arday & Wilson, 2021).

There is clear evidence of significant under-representation of racially minoritised staff Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff at all senior levels and operations in academia (Ahmed, 2012; Bhopal & Brown, 2016; ECU, 2015; Tate & Bagguley, 2017; HESA, 2016). As of the 2018/19 academic year, among academic staff, 475 managers, directors and senior officials identify as White, compared with 15 senior leaders who identify as Asian and none who identify as Black (HESA, 2020). A similar trend follows non-academic staff, with 10,510 managers, directors and senior officials identifying as White, compared with the disproportionate 410 who identify as Asian and 185 who identify as Black (HESA, 2020). Most of the racial justice work involves gathering the data, which Allen (2020) argues that