UBAE is a self-organised network group for Black educators, students and individuals from the wider NSEAD membership and community. UBAE is safe-space group with new members always welcomed.
Twilight meetings take place the first Thursday in every month, on Zoom.
We find inspiration in the Bantu concept of Ubuntu, described by Desmond Tutu as the idea that ‘We are created for a delicate network of relationships, of interdependence with our fellow human beings, with the rest of creation.’
Quote from Primary Art Consultant and UBAE member, Emily Gopaul. Emily identifies as an Indo-Guyanese Londoner.
'I am fortunate to have been there with Marlene Wylie and others at the inception of this group. It came about against a backdrop of Covid and the killing of George Floyd. At the time many of us art educators were feeling the strain and it transpired that the global majority or Black members of our ARAE (Anti Racist Art Education) group were in need of a separate forum, just for us. As individuals engaged with art education in various ways, from teaching full-time to consulting, we were experiencing the fatigue of emotional labour. We were increasingly being asked to explain, produce content and present around subjects of race and racism. We also continued to encounter microaggressions in our individual settings and were often finding ourselves triggered into recalling incidents of racism and problematic behaviours in our past. We needed to talk, to listen and be listened to by people who would understand. People who don't necessarily need the nuances of our lived experiences explained to them, they just 'got it'.
So we decided a safe space was needed and a few years later, after many more conversations we are proud to have the UBAE network.
UBAE continues to be a work in progress and it will evolve with the conversations and members at its heart. We know that not all Black individuals in art education feel called to activism or sharing, and that some are deep into a journey of activism and self discovery - we want to welcome you all. All perspectives are valued and we come with open hearts and ears. Open to having our minds changed, to sharing book titles, to smiling and nodding in agreement and to opening up to the possibilities of change and collaboration that can come from a network like this. I always leave conversations feeling a little validated, a lot inspired and with plenty of resources to further my thoughts, should I desire. A warm welcome awaits you!'
