New ‘Power List’ seeks to find the most influential BME people in Bristol

A new Bristol BME Powerlist seeks to find Bristol's most inspiring, successful and influential Black and Minority Ethnic People.

Brought to the city by the University of Bristol, Bristol SU and Bristol 24/7, the search for candidates opened on January 15th and will close in March, with nominations encouraged from anyone and everyone.

Organisers hope that the nominees will "cover a wide demographic which is representative of students, University staff and the wider Bristol community" with the hope that the list improves links between students and the wider Bristol community.

Nominees will be drawn from both Bristol University and the wider city

It also aims to "provide students with more visible BME role models to inspire them in their own careers, activities and engagement with the city", with organisers highlighting Bristol SU research on the BME attainment gap which suggested "there is a lack of role models in the University community, and a lack of feelings of belonging and inclusion."

Commenting on the news, BME network co-chair and co-founder of 'Bristol Is the New Black' Chanté Joseph said: "The social discourse around inclusion and diversity is changing, it has gone beyond the tokenism and moved into a space of structural reform and meaningful actions."

"This list is the latter, we will be recognising community leaders and influencers that have gone above and beyond to shape and serve the communities around them. This BME Powerlist is a way of creating hypervisibility for some of Bristol’s unsung BME heroes and giving them access to the university. I hope this list will be the start of a greater, mutually beneficial relationship between students and the community".

Organisers hope to create a list of around 50-100 residents and students

Funding for the project has been granted by the University of Bristol and a physical publication will be distributed by Bristol 24/7 during the spring. Those named on the list will be asked to engage in conversations with students to increase BME engagement in the local communities. This will help to develop their time in Bristol and to create an improved sense of social responsibility within the city.

Nominations are now open and can be completed online at bristolsu.org.uk/bmepowerlist. You can fill out the form here.