Of the 19,000 professors in the UK, fewer than 150 are Black. Leading Routes is an initiative that supports Black students, encouraging them to stay on at university and move up the academic ‘ladder’ through PhD study and employment as academics and future professors.

Believing firmly in the importance of this cause, SAGE Publishing announces that it has partnered with Leading Routes to support three of its ‘Black in Academia: Staying the Course’ events during 2020. Taking place in three cities outside of London, these events will aim to create spaces and opportunities to celebrate Black achievement in higher education, furthering the conversation about the representation and experiences of Black students and staff in universities in the UK.

Kiren Shoman, Vice President of Editorial Pedagogy commented:

“For research outputs to thrive and have lasting impact, we firmly believe that it must come from a body of researchers that reflect the diverse make-up of society. However, the levels of people from BAME backgrounds working in academia remains severely low. We’ve been inspired by the work of Leading Routes to address this widespread and deep-rooted problem and are pleased to be working with them on this series of events.”  

Paulette Williams, founder of Leading Routes, further stated:

“Our work to support the next generation of Black academics could not be possible without input and support from actors across the scholarly community, from publishers and learned societies, to universities and student groups. A highly-regarded, independent, mission driven publisher of academic literature, we’re delighted to be working with SAGE as we continue to address the challenges faced by students and academics from African Caribbean backgrounds.”

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Sara Miller McCune founded SAGE Publishing in 1965 to support the dissemination of usable knowledge and educate a global community. SAGE is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content publishing more than 1,000 journals and over 800 new books each year, spanning a wide range of subject areas. Our growing selection of library products includes archives, data, case studies and video. SAGE remains majority owned by our founder and after her lifetime will become owned by a charitable trust that secures the company’s continued independence. Principal offices are located in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC and Melbourne. www.sagepublishing.com

Founded by Paulette Williams in 2016, Leading Routes is a pioneering initiative that aims to prepare the next generation of Black academics. Since its first event in 2017, the organisation has reached almost 700 Black parents, carers, students and potential academics through events that aim to explore new ways to strengthen the academic pipeline for Black students, from a Black-led perspective. Leading Routes continues to work with partner organisations to democratise information about undergraduate and postgraduate study; celebrate Black scholarship; and create a supportive network for Black students and academics. www.leadingoutes.org

Contact (media inquiries only)

• Louise Coady, Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs: louise.coady@sagepub.co.uk  / Tel: (+44) (0)7810 807291