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| National Union of Students Black Students' Campaign | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Union of Students Black Students' Campaign |
| Formation | 1972 |
| Type | Student organisation |
| Headquarters | London |
| Region served | United Kingdom |
| Membership | Student unions |
| Parent organisation | National Union of Students |
National Union of Students Black Students' Campaign is a campaigning body within the National Union of Students representing Black students across the United Kingdom. It operates as a constituency group that organises conferences, lobbies student unions, and coordinates with community organisations to address racial inequality, representation, and welfare issues affecting Black students. The Campaign has engaged with national politics, higher education institutions, trade unions, and cultural organisations to pursue structural change and student support.
The Campaign traces its roots to the wave of student activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s, emerging alongside movements such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Black Panther Party, and student bodies active at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and University of London. Early organisers drew on precedents from the Civil Rights Movement, the Windrush generation community organising, and campaigns in the Caribbean and African National Congress networks. Throughout the 1980s the Campaign intersected with campaigns against Apartheid and collaborated with the National Council for Civil Liberties and trade union activists from Trades Union Congress affiliates. In the 1990s and 2000s it responded to policy debates involving the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, and university governance changes at institutions such as King's College London and Manchester Metropolitan University. In the 2010s and 2020s the Campaign engaged with movements including Black Lives Matter, student-led protests at University of Warwick, Goldsmiths, University of London, and anti-racism initiatives connected to figures from Stonewall, Runnymede Trust, and cultural institutions like the British Museum.
The Campaign's stated aims have included improving representation of Black students in leadership positions across bodies such as Student Union executives at University of Birmingham, University of Manchester, and University of Edinburgh; addressing attainment gaps highlighted in reports by organisations like Equality and Human Rights Commission and think tanks such as the Institute for Public Policy Research; and securing welfare provisions in partnerships with organisations including Samaritans and Mind. Objectives have encompassed influencing legislative frameworks debated in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, shaping university policy at governing bodies like University of Glasgow senates, and campaigning on international issues linked to United Nations debates and solidarity with movements in South Africa and Nigeria.
The Campaign operates within the National Union of Students framework, electing officers at an annual conference attended by delegates from affiliated student unions including representatives from London School of Economics and University of Leeds. Governance combines an executive of elected officers, regional officers for areas such as Scotland and Wales, and standing working groups that liaise with committees at organisations like the Higher Education Funding Council for England and sector bodies such as the Office for Students. Elections follow democratic procedures similar to those used in National Union of Students national officer ballots and have sometimes featured cross-campaign endorsements from groups including NUS LGBT+ Campaign and NUS Women's Campaign. Accountability mechanisms include motions passed at conference, external audits by union treasurers from institutions like Queen Mary University of London, and compliance checks with the parent union's constitution.
Activities have ranged from policy lobbying and training workshops to direct action and cultural programming. Policy work targeted university admissions practices exemplified by debates at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge over contextual offers, while welfare campaigns addressed mental health provision highlighted by collaborations with NHS England trusts and charities like SANE. The Campaign has organised national conferences with speakers drawn from organisations such as Liberty (UK), Amnesty International, and academic contributors from SOAS University of London and University College London. Direct actions have included occupations and demonstrations coordinated with student bodies at University of Sussex and solidarity protests supporting international causes tied to Palestine and Sierra Leone diaspora groups.
The Campaign influenced institutional change including the establishment of Black student officer roles at numerous unions, curriculum reviews at departments within University of Birmingham and University of Manchester, and contributions to reports by the Higher Education Policy Institute. Supporters credit it with raising visibility of attainment disparities, influencing contextual admission policies, and improving welfare provision. Critics have accused the Campaign at times of factionalism mirroring disputes within broader left and anti-racist movements such as differences seen between Stop The War Coalition supporters and more moderate union officials; some university administrators and commentators from outlets linked to The Times and The Guardian have questioned tactics during occupations or boycott calls. Debates over intersectionality and alliance-building have involved exchanges with groups like NUS Disabled Students' Campaign and NUS International Students' Network.
Significant events include mass delegate mobilisations at national conferences, high-profile protests against visits by political figures associated with controversies at institutions such as London School of Economics, solidarity actions during Nelson Mandela era commemorations, and national campaigns responding to international crises that connected to diasporic student unions from Jamaica, Kenya, and Ghana. The Campaign played roles in national moments that intersected with inquiries and reports by bodies like the Equality Challenge Unit and public debates featured in outlets such as BBC News and Channel 4.
The Campaign has maintained formal and informal ties with other constituencies and external organisations including NUS LGBT+ Campaign, NUS Women's Campaign, NUS Disabled Students' Campaign, Anti-Nazi League, Show Racism the Red Card, Runnymede Trust, Institute of Race Relations, trade unions like Unite the Union and Unison, and political groups across the spectrum from Labour Party campus networks to independent community organisations in London boroughs such as Lambeth and Hackney. These relationships have enabled coalition campaigns on issues from tuition fees contested in alliances with Save the Students groups to anti-racism education initiatives delivered in partnership with museums and cultural bodies including the National Theatre and British Library.