Black Lives Matter – Statement from HMC Chair Elect, Sally-Anne Huang

In response to the Black Lives Matter campaign, Sally-Anne Huang, Chair Elect of HMC made the following statement:

“The millions of voices raised in protest against the killing of George Floyd and racism across the world have been a sharp reminder that positive and sustainable change is needed. Working with our existing Diversity and Equality group, HMC is committed to playing its part in making that happen.

“First, we know we need to listen and to learn. To that end we are delighted that the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust will be working with HMC this year to examine how the curriculum could benefit from greater attention to inclusion. 

“As Head of James Allen’s Girls School, I have been actively involved with the Trust for two years, specifically on the national education arm of Stephen Lawrence Day, and we are all excited about the opportunity to widen this work.

“Whilst we absolutely accept that we would benefit from a more diverse membership, our commitment to tackling this is not new. Our first task was to make significant improvements in terms of gender, which we have done. We recognise that the challenge is still to tackle the systemic problem of lack of BAME representation.

“We cannot promise that this will happen quickly. Heads do not appoint other heads, but we undertake to look for opportunities in our professional development courses and ensure our own Teaching Careers in HMC schools materials encourage BAME candidates to help create a wider pool of teachers. We know our members are thinking hard about this in their schools.

“I have been hugely encouraged by the serious reflection and commitment shown by our members in responding to this campaign, and by the thoughtful challenge shown by students and alumni who care about living in a fair society. We all know that genuine dialogue and working together is the best way of achieving change, and we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to that.”