This Black History Month’s national theme is “Saluting Our Sisters”, and at Royal Holloway we want to shine a spotlight on notable Black women that have attended Royal Holloway and Bedford College, currently work at the University, or are based in Surrey.
This Black History Month’s national theme is Saluting Our Sisters, and at Royal Holloway, we want to shine a spotlight on notable Black women who have attended Royal Holloway and Bedford College, and those who currently work at the University, or are based in Surrey.
The national campaign encourages us to think about Black women who have pioneered in the Arts, Leadership & Governance, STEM, Sports, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Activism.
We’ve collaborated with the University’s Gender Institute to collate this list of women who deserve to be celebrated!
Sarah Parker Remond (1826-1894)
Sarah Parker Remond attended Bedford College 1859-61 as its first student of colour. In 1862 she spoke to the International Congress of Charities, Correction and Philanthropy regarding slavery. She believed that the equality of races could only be accomplished if both blacks and whites were given the same rights and opportunities for study. Due to her work in racial equality, Royal Holloway introduced an award celebrating Black UK Psychology Students, raising £3,000 over three years.
Rita D’Alton-Harrison LLB, MA, SFHEA, PhD
Rita is a current Professor at Royal Holloway and was instrumental in establishing the University's LLB programme. Her interest also spans to being a member of the AdvanceHE Race Equality Charter judging panel and the Society of Legal Scholars Libraries Committee. Her research is primarily focused on Human Fertilisation and her teaching is focused on family, children, health and social care within Law. Read more about Rita.
Darcy Bourne
Darcy was the first Black hockey player to represent England and the face of a famous UK Black Lives Matter demonstration. Darcy, 22, lives in Surrey and plays for Surbiton Ladies Hockey. As a fun fact, the Royal Holloway Ladies Hockey Club is the oldest women's hockey club in England. She has also pioneered Beyond Our Game, a campaign aiming to unite and empower diverse communities through athletics.
