LLB graduate Uejanaua Tjihumino nominated for ECHO Award 2021

Recent International and European Law LLB graduate Uejanaua Tjihumino has been nominated by the University of Groningen for the ECHO Award 2021. The Expertise Centrum Diversiteitbeleid (ECHO) is a non-profit organisation specialising in diversity policy for higher education institutions and workplaces. The ECHO Award is a prize for excellent talent—with a non-Western background—who distinguish themselves in higher education through active social involvement and their capability to think of and conceive concrete solutions within society.

She has been nominated for this award due to her active commitment to Black Ladies of Groningen (BLOG) (https://www.blackladiesofgroningen.com/?fbclid=IwAR1f2qvzA5NNdHf8OjeH-e_4CXX28CjYsNZXrAzW8ssNP5QZic7AWM44ieg). BLOG is a community-led initiative, started in Groningen, intending to create a safe space for black women. During her mandate with BLOG, she had the opportunity to address social issues affecting People of Colour and, more specifically, Women of Colour through various events. For example, through the Black Lives Matter protest and by educating white peers in an anti-racism workshop held at the Faculty of Arts.

Once nominated, she automatically joins the ECHO Ambassadors Network—a collective body of socially involved students and professionals previously nominated by the organisation. Furthermore, ECHO has an Ambassadors Academy, which is a leadership program, taking place in October. This program serves as an introduction to the theory and practice of diversity and inclusion. The academy allows nominees to engage in frameworks for discussing diversity and inclusion, as well as exploring their roles as ECHO Ambassadors. The academy is an integral part of preparing nominees for ECHO-offered opportunities in education and in the labour market.

Alongside her role as an ECHO Ambassador, Uejanaua will also be enrolled in the International Human Rights Law LLM this upcoming academic year at the Faculty of Law.

This article was published by the Faculty of Law.