As Black History Month gets underway, we catch up with Bud Johnston, Project Manager for the Black at Sussex programme. Bud talks about what Black at Sussex aims to achieve for staff, students, alumni and the local community – and he reveals who inspires him and why.
As Project Manager for Black at Sussex, I work with students, staff, alumni and community partners to deliver initiatives that reflect Black voices, histories and futures. I want to ensure the programme isn’t performative – it should create structural change, centre on care, and archive the contributions of Black people to this University. If we do it right, it will feel like a blueprint for how institutions can be held accountable while being deeply human.
Our current programme includes committed funding for projects spanning photography, portraiture, archives, and education – from exhibitions by Eddie Otchere to workshops in schools and collaborations with local Black led organisations that are building with community roots. There are some unique figures within our Black alumni at Sussex including Michael Fuller, the UK’s first Black Chief Constable, and Burna Boy, the afro-beat international superstar. Our alumni network is vast and still unfolding.
My favourite place on campus is the Sports Hall. It reminds me of a former life in the early 2000s when I played professional basketball for Brighton Bears and we trained at the University campus each day. I enjoy seeing new students at this time of year – the energy of new horizons is lovely to me.
Digging through music makes me lose track of time. It’s a passion, and everything needs a soundtrack. To be honest, I’m involved in lots of different things, so I rarely have much time to lose!
I’m inspired by people who keep building things even when no one is watching. Right now, I’d say Akala and also Dr Joanna Abeyie MBE. Within their own right they are both doing amazing things to elevate inclusion and a voice for marginalised communities.