Regent's lecturer, Dr Ken Fero, has been awarded a commission for Nursing Narratives – Racism and the Pandemic, a Sheffield Hallam University study exploring racism in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, as experienced by Black and Asian nurses and care workers.
Dr Fero will produce a documentary film as part of the interdisciplinary research project, which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The project will explore how racism has played out during the pandemic and the impact that this has had on the lives of those working in healthcare. Creative storytelling techniques will be used to profile the stories of nurses and care staff and to document the diverse racisms that they have encountered and challenged throughout their working lives.
Dr Fero, who lectures on the BA (hons) Film & Screen course, comments: “The documentary will collaborate with a wide range of people who have experienced racism in healthcare. Our lives have been in their hands throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and it is important that those who have been on the COVID-19 frontline – many of whom have been from Black, Asian and migrant backgrounds – have their experiences documented and their hopes for the future heard.”
Students on the BA (Hons) Film & Screen (Film Production) course are already employed on the production – and this will be expanded as the project progresses across the year. They will be supervised by Dr Fero during the project, giving valuable industry experience that will enhance their future employment opportunities.
Third-year film production student Nastia Maltseva comments, “I’m so glad to be a part of the Nursing Narratives project, it’s so important to spread awareness and tell the stories of the nurses during this pandemic. I'm enhancing my practical media skills and applying everything I've been taught on the course.”
The research goes further than collecting stories of racial discrimination and the impact of long-term discrimination on individual and institutional approaches to a crisis. Viewing the pandemic as a portal, through which we can re-shape our direction as a society, the film will centre the insights of those on the frontline as a crucial asset in creating significant change.
A launch of the documentary is planned to take place at Regent's in the Autumn. Those with an interest in the subject are welcome to contact Dr Fero via email.