JMS Network with Dr William Ackah

We are delighted to welcome Dr William Ackah to our JMS Network Series.

The JMS Network is a programme of monthly events centring the Black academic experience and the pursuit of knowledge. It serves as a platform to facilitate discussion and to bridge networks outwith the academic landscape. The overall aim of the JMS Network is to create a protected space where curious minds can engage with experts and extend their communities to people from various fields.

William Ackah is Reader in Social Sciences and African Diaspora Studies at Birkbeck University of London. He is current chair of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race an international organisation that brings together academics, community activists and church leaders with the aim of tackling injustices faced by people of African descent around the world.

He is the co-convenor of the African Diaspora Postgraduate Network which supports Black students undertaking doctoral research and he is Faculty member of the African Diaspora Consortium, an international group of scholars and educators of African descent involved in research and international student exchanges with African descendants from Brazil, the USA, Mexico, Bermuda and the UK.

He was a Fulbright Research Scholar in Pittsburgh, USA and continues to work on issues of Black Church community engagement in the USA and UK. He is on the editorial boards for Black Theology: An International Journal, Ethnic and Racial Studies and Whiteness and Education.

Dr Ackah has numerous publications in the fields of Pan-Africanism, African diaspora religion and politics and Black experiences in higher education. His latest work is as co-editor of The Black PhD Experience: Stories of Strength Courage and Wisdom in UK Academia. Bristol, Policy 2024. He is leading thinker on Pan-African thought and practice, authoring numerous publications including Pan-Africanism: Exploring the Contradictions (1999) and The Politics of Pan-Africanism in the Routledge Handbook on Pan-Africanism (2020).

HOW TO GET THERE

By train: Kelvin Hall is around 20 minutes walk from Partick Station

Subway: The nearest subway station is Kelvinhall.

Bus: First Bus services 2, 3 and 77 all stop outside the museum.

Bike: Kelvingrove Park forms part of the Kelvin Walkway, which links with the Glasgow Loch Lomond Clydeway and the West Highland Way. The venue can be easily reached by bicycle and bicycle parking is available to the front of the building.

Car: Kelvin Hall is situated on Argyle Street, around 6 minutes from the M8.

ACCESSIBILITY GUIDES

The AccessAble guide can be found here.

The Kelvin Hall Visual Story can be found here.

A floor plan for the venue is available here.

Other accessibility information

Please note that only assistance dogs are permitted within the building.

Kelvin Hall has a dedicated quiet room that can be used for prayer or for those needing a calm space. It is located on the ground floor beside the Sports Hall, please ask Glasgow Life staff for directions.

Sensory bags which include ear defenders are available for visitors to use during their time in Kelvin Hall. These can be collected from reception.

Accessible toilets

The accessible toilet is located off the main corridor. There is a changing places toilet.

Assistance dogs

Guide and assistance dogs are welcome.

Hearing loop

There is a fixed loop hearing assistance system in the main building. If you use British Sign Language, you can watch their British Sign Language introduction to Kelvin Hall.

Wheelchair access

There is wheelchair and pram access to all public areas using the lifts and there are free wheelchairs available to hire at reception.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher James McCune Smith PhD Scholarship