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This resource was shaped by young people, teachers, academics, literacy leads and critical friends across Scotland and co-created with Dr Navan Govender,​ ​​​Lecturer in Applied Language and Literacy Studies at the Strathclyde Institute of Education​​, and Titilayo Farukuoye, writer and anti-racist educator.

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This resource is designed to help you bring anti-racist practice into literacy lessons.

Apply the Anti-racist Literacy Framework to read, write, listen and talk across any genre using an Anti-Racist lens.

Work with the Teaching Materials which exemplify how to apply the Anti-Racist Framework to different literacy genres.

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English and Literacy — antiracisted.scot

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This resource is designed to help you bring anti-racist practice into literacy lessons.

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Resources and support for anti-racist education practitioners across Scotland.

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For education practitioners in Scotland interested in embedding anti-racist education in their setting.

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Anti-racist education information for families

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Whole School Approach to Racism and Racist Incidents

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Whole School Approach to Racism and Racist Incidents

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Addressing racism and racist incidents in school

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Addressing racism and racist incidents in school

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Interim guidance

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SCILT’s self-directed professional learning resources are free to access and open to all.

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Pupil from Fife recorded their experiences of racism

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Pupil from Fife recorded their experiences of racism

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Animated video

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This can be used as a discussion point to talk about the power of language e.g. racist jokes.

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In fostering spaces of inclusion and belonging, it is important to recognize, name, and address when individuals or groups with marginalized identities are experiencing harm, such as bias or discrimination.

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Our author events, resources and book lists are designed to support anti-racism and promote BIPOC voice and experiences through literature.

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Our author events, resources and book lists are designed to support anti-racism and promote BIPOC voices and experiences through literature.

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World Kid Lit CIC is a UK-based organisation that aims to bring diverse, inclusive, global literature into the hands and onto the bookshelves of young people.

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Discover world literature for children and young people

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Resources and support for anti-racist education practitioners across Scotland

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Resources and support for anti-racist education practitioners across Scotland

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This website provides tools, workshops and ideas to support Early Years practitioners and teachers in Scotland to build an anti-racist curriculum which responds positively to the diverse needs of individual learning where all cultures, religions, identities and languages are recognised and valued.

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For education practitioners in Scotland interested in embedding anti-racist education in their setting.

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Colourful Heritage Resources for WW1 and WW2

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Colourful Heritage Resources for WW1 and WW2

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Colourful Heritage is an organisation dedicated to capturing, celebrating and inspiring others in the history of the immense contribution of South Asian migrants and Muslims to Scotland over the past century.

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Can Save a Bad Curriculum Podcast with Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings

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We've partnered with BBC, Into Film and The Black Curriculum to bring you the latest news and a selection of resources on black British history, the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-racism and much more.

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Resources to support Black History Month

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We've partnered with BBC, Into Film and The Black Curriculum to bring you the latest news and a selection of resources on black British history, the Black Lives Matter movement, anti-racism and much more.

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Black History Month: Using real stories in the primary school classroom - Headteacher Update

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How can primary schools use real stories and first-person histories to bring Black History Month to life this October? Race equality advisor Shammi Rahman advises

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The Black History Month programme in Scotland has been organised every year by the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights since 2001.
In Scotland, Black History Month has historically encompassed “the history of African, Caribbean and Asian people in this country; people who often have a direct link with Scotland through slavery, colonialism and migration. Black History Month focuses on people whose sacrifices, contributions and achievements against a backdrop of racism, inequality and injustice are often forgotten about.” Some nations and organisations celebrating Black History Month, however, focus only on the history of people of African and Caribbean descent.

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The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights is once again pleased to present our programme of events for Black History Month 2023

In putting the programme together we were pleased to work with a range of partners from across the community, voluntary and public sectors. This has helped us to collaboratively create a Black History Month Programme that includes an exciting range of events from talks, performances, workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and more. Thank you to the organisations and individuals who have contributed events for their continued support.

You can download a digital copy of the programme below or you can view what's on throughout October on this page and on the calendar on our homepage.
You can download the 2023 BHM programme here

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What's On - BLACK HISTORY MONTH SCOTLAND

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The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights is once again pleased to present our programme of events for Black History Month 2023 In putting the programme together we were pleased to work with a range of partners from across the community, voluntary and public sectors.

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Story of the Building Racial Literacy Programme – Part 4

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St. Albert's Primary School Dragons' Den Pitch

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Giffnock Primary School - We Are all the Same BQH

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Produced by Forth Valley and West Lothian Regional Improvement Collaborative

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Looking for all Articles by Éadaoín Lynch?

At Scottish Book Trust, we believe books and reading can provide magic, comfort and joy.

We also know that books play a significant role in affecting how children see themselves and the world around them, in addition to supporting their mental health, and developing their empathy.

In that light, it is crucial to show, promote, and centre diversity in the books children are reading.

Seeing yourself in what you read

'Diversity' refers to all intersections of identity. Recent research shows how children's books privilege white male stories, and centre able-bodied or ableist characters; this inequity applies, too, to stories featuring migrants, neurodivergence, and non-Christian religions, among others ( DiverseBooks.org).

The absence of diversity in children's books is reflected in children and young people's attitudes to reading: 2 in 5 of children and young people say they find it difficult to find books with characters or people like them, increasing to 1 in 2 children aged 8 to 11.

There is a further split between children of different ethnicities: nearly 1 in 2 children and young people from Black ethnic backgrounds say they struggle to see themselves in what they read, compared to over 1 in 3 from white backgrounds.

Impact study: Representation of Black people and people of colour

In better news, there has been an increase in BPOC representation in recent years: according to the 2022 Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) report, 20% of the children's picture books, fiction and non-fiction titles published in 2021 featured characters of colour, compared to 15% in 2020, 10% in 2019, and 4% in 2017.

As the CLPE Chief Executive notes in their report, 'We applaud the change that has happened so far, but it is not yet embedded or sufficient.'

This expanding visibility of characters of colour has occurred in picture books and non-fiction; the CLPE notes that representation in fiction books has remained the same.

Despite this increase, moreover, there is a disparity between the proportion of those reading, and how they see themselves reflected back: 33.9% of all children of primary school age in England in 2020 are 'from a minority ethnic background,' but only 8% of children's books published that year feature a main character from a minority ethnic background (CLPE 2021).

This disparity does not just concern how many characters of colour there are, but how many creators of colour have opportunities to publish.

In 2022, BookTrust published their report Representation of people of colour among children's book creators in the UK, which demonstrated that, 'In 2021, 11.7% of children's book creators were people of colour and they created 9.1% of unique titles.'

Their additional Diversity Report in 2019 noted that, 'between 2007 and 2017, white children's book creators had around twice as many books published compared to creators of colour: on average approximately 4 books in comparison to approximately 2 books.'

The same report indicated that the barriers to inclusivity included lack of role models; financial insecurity and class disadvantage; and under-representation of people of colour in the industry.

Future steps

This research suggests that there is a growing commitment to secure appropriate and inclusive BPOC representation in children's books, but also a crucial necessity to ensure sustained, systemic change.

'More than 3 in 5 children and young people agreed [that] it is important to read books from a range of backgrounds,' notes the National Literacy Trust, 'and nearly half said they liked to read stories with characters who are different from them.'

It is our hope at Scottish Book Trust that feedback such as this encourages change in the industry, and that children's books continue to promote and showcase diversity in their characters and stories.

Lists of diverse children's books

Check out some of our book lists featuring diverse stories and characters!

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Promoting BPOC representation and diversity in children's books

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We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

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Scroll down and click on Informed for PowerPoints and facilitation notes for Equalities.

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Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equalities Professional Learning Framework

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Fiction - Signposts for Global Citizenship

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Stories, poems and novels can be excellent tools to develop important Global Citizenship skills such as empathy and critical thinking. They can open up new worlds and support learners to understand complex global issues and how these shape the realities of people around the world.

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In honor of Black History Month, use these lessons to explore the importance of Black history, express your identity, and celebrate the contributions of African Americans throughout history.

Start teaching in 3 steps

Create a Class

Students can join your class with a class code

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Students can see assigned lessons and get started

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Celebrate Black History, Culture & Identity

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Skip to content In honor of Black History Month, use these lessons to explore the importance of Black history, express your identity, and celebrate the contributions of African Americans throughout history. Create a Class Students can join your class with a class code Add lessons Students can see assigned lessons and get started Applied Digital Skills uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience.

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Reni Eddo-Lodge: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race

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Matthew Syed talks about the differences in diversity and where the best ideas come from

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Implicit or Unconscious Bias

By Charlotte Ruhl, published July 01, 2020

Take-home Messages

Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can manifest in the criminal justice system, workplace, school setting, and in the healthcare system.

Implicit bias is also known as unconscious bias or implicit social cognition.

There are many different examples of implicit biases, ranging from categories of race, gender, and sexuality.

These biases often arise as a result of trying to find patterns and navigate the overwhelming stimuli in this very complicated world. Culture, media, and upbringing can also contribute to the development of such biases

Removing these biases is a challenge, especially because we often don't even know they exist, but research reveals potential interventions and provides hope that levels of implicit biases in the United States are decreasing.

The term implicit bias was first coined back in 1995 by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, where they argued that social behavior is largely influenced by unconscious associations and judgments (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995).

Specifically, implicit bias refers to attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious way, making them difficult to control.

Since the mid-90s, psychologists have extensively researched implicit biases, revealing that, without even knowing it, we all possess our own implicit biases.

System 1 and System 2 Thinking

Kahneman (2011) distinguishes between two types of thinking: system 1 and system 2.

System 1 is the brain's fast, emotional, unconscious thinking mode. This type of thinking requires little effort, but it is often error prone. Most everyday activities (like driving, talking, cleaning, etc.) make heavy use of the type 1 system.

The type 2 system is slow, logical, effortful, conscious thought, where reason dominates.

Implicit Bias vs. Explicit Bias

It is also possible that your implicit and explicit biases are different from your neighbor, friend, or even your family member. There are many factors that can control how such biases are developed.

What Are the Implications of Unconscious Bias?

Implicit biases become evident in many different domains of society. On an interpersonal level, they can manifest in simply daily interactions. This occurs when certain actions (or microaggressions) make others feel uncomfortable or aware of the specific prejudices you may hold against them.

Racial Stereotypes

Unconscious racial stereotypes are a major example of implicit bias. In other words, having an automatic preference for one race over another without even being aware of this bias.

This bias can manifest in small interpersonal interactions and has broader implications in the legal system and many other important sectors of society.

Examples may include holding an implicit stereotype that associates Black individuals as violent, and as a result, you may cross the street at night when you see a Black man walking in your direction, without even realizing why you are crossing the street.

The action taken here is an example of a microaggression. A microaggression is a subtle, automatic, and often nonverbal, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults toward any group (Pierce, 1970). Here, crossing the street communicates an implicit prejudice, even though you might not even be aware.

Another example of an implicit racial bias is if a Latino student is complimented by a teacher for speaking perfect English, but he is actually a native English speaker. Here, the teacher assumed that simply because he is Latino that English would not be his first language.

Gender Stereotypes

Gender biases are another common form of implicit bias. Gender biases are the ways in which we judge men and women based on traditional feminine and masculine assigned traits.

For example, a greater assignment of fame to male than female names (Banaji & Greenwald, 1995) reveals a subconscious bias that holds men at a higher level than their female counterpart. Whether you voice the opinion that men are more famous than women is independent of this implicit gender bias.

Another common implicit gender bias regards women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). In the school setting, girls are more likely to be associated with language over math, whereas males are more likely to be associated with math over language (Steffens & Jelenec, 2011), revealing clear gender-related implicit biases that can ultimately go so far as to dictate future career paths.

Even if you outwardly say men and women are equally good at math, it is possible you subconsciously associate math more strongly with men without even being aware of this association.

Health Care

Healthcare is another setting where implicit biases are very present. Racial and ethnic minorities and women are subject to less accurate diagnoses, curtailed treatment options, less pain management, and worse clinical outcomes (Chapman, Kaatz, & Carnes, 2013).

Additionally, Black children are often not treated as children at all, or not given the same compassion or level of care that is provided for White children (Johnson et al., 2017).

It becomes very evident that implicit biases infiltrate the most common sectors of society, making it all the more important to begin to question how we can work to remove these biases.

LGBTQ+ Community Bias

Similar to implicit racial and gender biases, individuals may hold implicit biases against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Again, that does not necessarily mean that these opinions are voiced outwardly or even consciously recognized by the beholder for that matter.

Rather, these biases are unconscious. A really simple example could be asking a female friend is she has a boyfriend, assuming her sexuality and that heterosexuality is the norm or default.

Instead, in this specific situation, you could just ask your friend if she is seeing someone. There are several other forms of implicit biases that fall into categories ranging from weight to ethnicity to ability that come into play in our everyday lives.

Legal System

Both law enforcement and the legal system shed light on implicit biases. An example of implicit biases functioning in law enforcement is the shooter bias - the tendency among the police to shoot Black civilians more often than White civilians, even when they are unarmed (Mekawi, & Bresin, 2015).

This bias has been repeatedly tested in the laboratory setting, revealing an implicit bias against Black individuals. Blacks are also arrested at disproportionally high rates, given harsher sentences, and Black juveniles are tried as adults more often than their White peers.

Black boys are also seen as less childlike, less innocent, more culpable, more responsible for their actions, and as being more appropriate targets for police violence (Goff, 2014).

Together, these unconscious stereotypes, which are not rooted in truth, form an array of implicit biases that are extremely dangerous and utterly unjust.

Work

Implicit biases are also visible in the workplace. One experiment that tracked the success of White and Black job applicants found that stereotypically White received 50% more callbacks than the stereotypically Black names, regardless of the industry or occupation (Bertrand & Mullainathan, 2004).

This reveals another form of implicit bias: the hiring bias - Anglicized‐named applicants receiving more favorable pre‐interview impressions than other ethnic‐named applicants (Watson, Appiah, & Thornton, 2011).

Causes of Implicit Bias

We're susceptible to bias because of these tendencies:

We tend to seek out patterns

A key reason we develop such biases is that our brains have a natural tendency to look for patterns and associations in order to make sense of a very complicated world.

Research shows that even before kindergarten, children already use their group membership (e.g., racial group, gender group, age group, etc.) to guide inferences about the psychological and behavioral traits.

At such a young age, they have already begun to seek out patterns and recognize what distinguishes them from other groups (Baron, Dunham, Banaji, & Carey, 2014).

And not only do children recognize what sets them apart from other groups, they believe "what is similar to me is good, and what is different from me is bad" (Cameron, Alvarez, Ruble, & Fuligni, 2001).

Children aren't just noticing how similar or dissimilar they are to others, but dissimilar people are actively disliked (Aboud, 1988).

Recognizing what sets you apart from others, and then forming negative opinions about those outgroups (a social group with which an individual does not identify) contributes to the development of implicit biases.

We like to take shortcuts

Another explanation is that the development of these biases is a result of the brain's tendency to try to simplify the world.

Mental shortcuts make it faster and easier for the brain to sort through all of the overwhelming data and stimuli we are met with every second of the day. And we take mental shortcuts all the time. Rules of thumb, educated guesses, and using "common sense" are all forms of mental shortcuts.

Implicit bias is a result of taking one of these cognitive shortcuts inaccurately (Rynders, 2019). As a result, we incorrectly rely on these unconscious stereotypes to provide guidance in a very complex world.

And especially when we are under high levels of stress we are more likely to rely on these biases than to examine all of the relevant, surrounding information (Wigboldus, Sherman, Franzese, & Knippenberg, 2004).

Social and Cultural influences

Influences from media, culture, and your individual upbringing can also contribute to the rise of implicit associations that people form about the members of social outgroups. Media has become increasingly accessible, and while that has many benefits, it can also lead to implicit biases.

The way TV portrays individuals, or the language journal articles use, can ingrain specific biases in our mind.

For example, they can lead us to associate Black people as criminals or females as nurses or teachers. The way you are raised can also play a huge role. One research study found that parental racial attitudes can influence children's implicit prejudice (Sinclair, Dunn, & Lowery, 2005).

And parents are not the only figures who can influence such attitudes. Siblings, the school setting, and the culture in which you grow up can also play a role in shaping your explicit beliefs and implicit biases.

Implicit Attitude Test (IAT)

What sets implicit biases apart from other forms of biases is the fact that they are subconscious - we don't know if we have them.

However, researchers have developed a tool, called the Implicit Association Test (IAT) that can help reveal such biases.

The IAT requires participants to categorize negative and positive words together with either images or words (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998). Tests are taken online and must be performed as quickly as possible, the faster you categorize certain words or faces of a category, the stronger the bias you hold about that category.

For example, the Race IAT requires participants to categorizing White faces and Black faces and negative and positive words. The relative speed of association of black faces with negative words is used as an indication of the level of anti-black bias.

Professor Brian Nosek and colleagues tested more than 700,000 subjects and found that more than 70% of White subjects more easily associated White faces with positive words and Black faces with negative words, concluding that this was evidence of implicit racial bias (Nosek, Greenwald, & Banaji, 2007).

Outside of lab testing, it is very difficult to know if we do, in fact, possess these biases. The fact that they are so hard to detect is in the very nature of this form of bias, making them very dangerous in various real world settings.

How to Reduce Implicit Bias

Because of the harmful nature of implicit biases, it is critical to examine how we can begin to remove them.

Meditation

Practicing mindfulness is one potential way, as it serves to reduce the stress and cognitive load that otherwise leads to relying on such biases. A 2016 study found that brief mediation decreased unconscious bias against black people and elderly people (Lueke & Gibson, 2016), providing initial insight into the usefulness of this approach and paving the way for future research on this intervention.

Adjust your perspective

Another method is perspective taking - looking beyond your own point of view, so that you can consider how someone else may think or feel about something.

Researcher Belinda Gutierrez implemented a videogame called "Fair Play" in which players assume the role of a Black graduate student named Jamal Davis. As Jamal, players experience subtle race bias while completing "quests" to obtain a science degree.

Gutierrez hypothesized that participants who were randomly assigned to play the game would have greater empathy for Jamal and lower implicit race bias than participants randomized to read narrative text (not perspective taking) describing Jamal's experience (Gutierrez, 2014), and her hypothesis was supported, illustrating the benefits of perspective taking in increasing empathy towards outgroup members.

Training

Specific implicit bias training has been incorporated in different educational and law enforcement settings. Research has found that diversity training to overcome biases against women in STEM improved with men (Jackson, Hillard, & Schneider, 2014).

Training programs designed to target and help overcome implicit biases may also be beneficial with police officers (Plant & Peruche, 2005), but there is not enough conclusive evidence to completely support this claim. One pitfall of such training is a potential rebound effect.

By actively trying to inhibit stereotyping actually results in the bias eventually increasing more so than if it had not been initially suppressed in the first place (Macrae, Bodenhausen, Milne, & Jetten, 1994). This is very similar to the white bear problem that is discussed in many psychology curricula.

This concept refers to the psychological process whereby deliberate attempts to suppress certain thoughts make them more likely to surface (Wegner & Schneider, 2003).

Education

Education is crucial. Understanding what implicit biases are, how they can arise, how, and how to recognize them in yourself and others are all incredibly important in working towards overcoming such biases.

Learning about other cultures or outgroups and what language and behaviors may come off as offensive are critical as well. Education is a powerful tool that can extend beyond the classroom, through books, media, and conversations. On the bright side, implicit biases in the United States have been improving.

From 2007 to 2016, implicit biases have changed towards neutrality for sexual orientation, race, and skin-tone attitudes (Charlesworth & Banaji, 2019), demonstrating that it is possible to overcome these biases.

Books for further reading

As mentioned, education is extremely important. Here are a few places to get starting in learning more about implicit biases:

1. Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See Think and Do by Jennifer Eberhardt

2. Blindspot by Anthony Greenwald and Mahzarin Banaji

3. Implicit Racial Bias Across the Law by Justin Levinson and Robert Smith

About the Author

Charlotte Ruhl is a member of the Class of 2022 at Harvard University. She studies Psychology with a minor in African American Studies. On campus, Charlotte works at an implicit social cognition research lab, is an editor for the undergraduate law review, and plays softball.

"implicit bias"

"implicit gender bias"

"unconscious bias"

"implicit prejudices"

"hidden bias"

"implicit racial bias"

"cognitive bias"

"Implicit Association Test" or IAT

"implicit association"

"implicit social cognition"

APA Style References

Aboud, F. E. (1988). Children and prejudice. B. Blackwell.

Banaji, M. R., & Greenwald, A. G. (1995). Implicit gender stereotyping in judgments of fame. Journal of personality and social psychology, 68(2), 181.

Baron, A. S., Dunham, Y., Banaji, M., & Carey, S. (2014). Constraints on the acquisition of social category concepts. Journal of Cognition and Development, 15(2), 238-268.

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination. American economic review, 94(4), 991-1013.

Cameron, J. A., Alvarez, J. M., Ruble, D. N., & Fuligni, A. J. (2001). Children's lay theories about ingroups and outgroups: Reconceptualizing research on prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(2), 118-128.

Chapman, E. N., Kaatz, A., & Carnes, M. (2013). Physicians and implicit bias: how doctors may unwittingly perpetuate health care disparities. Journal of general internal medicine, 28(11), 1504-1510.

Charlesworth, T. E., & Banaji, M. R. (2019). Patterns of implicit and explicit attitudes: I. Long-term change and stability from 2007 to 2016. Psychological science, 30(2), 174-192.

Goff, P. A., Jackson, M. C., Di Leone, B. A. L., Culotta, C. M., & DiTomasso, N. A. (2014). The essence of innocence: consequences of dehumanizing Black children. Journal of personality and socialpsychology,106(4), 526.

Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: attitudes, self-esteem, and stereotypes. Psychological review, 102(1), 4.

Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., & Schwartz, J. L. (1998). Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: the implicit association test. J ournal of personality and social psychology, 74(6), 1464.

Greenwald, A. G., & Krieger, L. H. (2006). Implicit bias: Scientific foundations. California Law Review, 94(4), 945-967.

Gutierrez, B., Kaatz, A., Chu, S., Ramirez, D., Samson-Samuel, C., & Carnes, M. (2014). "Fair Play": a videogame designed to address implicit race bias through active perspective taking. Games for health journal, 3(6), 371-378.

Jackson, S. M., Hillard, A. L., & Schneider, T. R. (2014). Using implicit bias training to improve attitudes toward women in STEM. Social Psychology of Education, 17(3), 419-438.

Johnson, T. J., Winger, D. G., Hickey, R. W., Switzer, G. E., Miller, E., Nguyen, M. B., ... & Hausmann, L. R. (2017). Comparison of physician implicit racial bias toward adults versus children. Academic pediatrics, 17(2), 120-126.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.

Lueke, A., & Gibson, B. (2016). Brief mindfulness meditation reduces discrimination. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(1), 34.

Macrae, C. N., Bodenhausen, G. V., Milne, A. B., & Jetten, J. (1994). Out of mind but back in sight: Stereotypes on the rebound. Journal of personality and social psychology, 67(5), 808.

Mekawi, Y., & Bresin, K. (2015). Is the evidence from racial bias shooting task studies a smoking gun? Results from a meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 61, 120-130.

Nosek, B. A., Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (2007). The Implicit Association Test at age 7: A methodological and conceptual review. Automatic processes in social thinking and behavior, 4, 265-292.

Pierce, C. (1970). Offensive mechanisms. The black seventies, 265-282.

Plant, E. A., & Peruche, B. M. (2005). The consequences of race for police officers' responses to criminal suspects. Psychological Science, 16(3), 180-183.

Rynders, D. (2019). Battling Implicit Bias in the IDEA to Advocate for African American Students with Disabilities. Touro L. Rev., 35, 461.

Sinclair, S., Dunn, E., & Lowery, B. (2005). The relationship between parental racial attitudes and children's implicit prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41(3), 283-289.

Steffens, M. C., & Jelenec, P. (2011). Separating implicit gender stereotypes regarding math and language: Implicit ability stereotypes are self-serving for boys and men, but not for girls and women. Sex Roles, 64(5-6), 324-335.

Watson, S., Appiah, O., & Thornton, C. G. (2011). The effect of name on pre‐interview impressions and occupational stereotypes: the case of black sales job applicants. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(10), 2405-2420.

Wegner, D. M., & Schneider, D. J. (2003). The white bear story. Psychological Inquiry, 14(3-4), 326-329.

Wigboldus, D. H., Sherman, J. W., Franzese, H. L., & Knippenberg, A. V. (2004). Capacity and comprehension: Spontaneous stereotyping under cognitive load. Social Cognition, 22(3), 292-309.

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Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can manifest in the criminal justice system, workplace, school setting, and in the healthcare system. Specifically, implicit bias refers to attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious way, making them difficult to control.

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After spending 20 years running diversity trainings for big companies, Dr. Robin DiAngelo has heard every excuse in the book from white people on why they weren't racist. They had a black friend at work. They were color blind. They did Teach for America!

"Go smile at your coworkers of color. Go to lunch on occasion. Don't do anything else, and you will play your part because niceness is not anti-racism. It takes strategic, intentional action. Smiling, being friendly, having a friend- those things don't end racism."

If we can't acknowledge our racist conditioning, it's going to be really hard to talk about racism in a meaningful way. And talking about it is the first step to dismantling it. For more important conversations, make sure to follow Strong Opinions Loosely Held, here!

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Dr. Robin DiAngelo has heard every excuse in the book from white people on why they aren't racist. It's time to unpack her concept of "White Fragility".

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In 2017, Boston public schools changed the world-or at least, its map. Boston schools changed their world maps from the common Mercator projection to the Peters projection. The result? Europe and the United States appeared to shrink overnight. Understanding how this could be, requires diving into the connection between maps and racism.

Saying that maps and racism are connected doesn't mean that the standard Mercator map is inherently problematic or less accurate than the alternative. In fact, both maps are accurate, just in different ways. It's the overuse of the Mercator projection that distorts our understanding of the world.

TAKE ACTION

* Consider these . How do different projections influence your perception of the world? What surprised you about the differences between the two? Discuss your ideas with a friend or family member.

* Support a child, parent, or educator in getting a Peters projection map as an alternative to the standard Mercator projection.

It's impossible to create a flat map of the surface of a round object without creating distortion, either in area or shape. That's why it's impossible to get an orange peel to lie perfectly flat on a table. The Mercator projection was created in 1519 for naval navigation. The north-south and east-west lines on a rectangular Mercator map cross at right angles and correspond with north-south and east-west lines on the actual globe. To achieve this, areas closer to the north and south poles are enlarged, while regions at the equator are made comparatively smaller ( CNN, The Guardian).

Picture a standard Mercator map of the world with parallel vertical lines running north-south. In reality, all those parallel north-south lines meet at the two poles. To display those vertical lines as parallel to each other in a way useful to navigators, the top and bottom of the map must be stretched compared to the middle.

The maps in textbooks, on classroom walls, and on the mobile version of Google Maps are all the Mercator projection ( The Verge). But nobody depends on any of these maps to conduct 16th-century seafaring. So why has it become the default?

Since the Mercator projection enlarges areas closer to the poles and compresses areas at the equator, North America and Europe are enlarged, giving European and North American mapmakers more room to fill in details of their home countries. But the fact that most people only ever see this map projection creates biases in our understanding of the world.

Here's a Mercator projection compared to the actual relative size of countries. The light blue shows the size of each country depicted in the Mercator projection. The dark blue represents the actual size of each country. By analyzing the differences, you can see how an everyday person would believe that North America and Europe are far larger than other continents.

On a Mercator projection, Greenland looks as large as the continent of Africa. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger. Africa is larger than North America, India, Argentina, and Tunisia combined. Greenland is closer in size to the Democratic Republic of Congo ( CNN, The Guardian).

"The world maps that prevail today have been embedded in Western imaginations since the British empire. They continue (to prevail) despite many challenges to their fairness and accuracy because they underpin the ongoing Anglo-Euro-American presumption that the world belongs to them, and pivots around these geo-cultural axes," says Marianne Franklin of the University of London.

The Mercator projection exaggerates not only the size of the United States but also its rivals. "If you take the Mercator projection, where Russia looks huge, give it a bright red color and then compare it to the rest of Europe, you see how dangerous it can look," says International Cartographic Association President Menno-Jan Kraak. And the standard map is always oriented with the north at the top, with wealthy and powerful North American and European countries conveniently sitting atop the rest ( The Guardian).

Consider how different the Mercator projection appears compared to this Peters projection oriented with south at the top:

Because all maps of our round planet create distortions, the Peters projection isn't more or less accurate than the Mercator projection. While the Mercator projection preserves parallel lines at the expense of distorting the area of shapes, the Peters projection distorts countries' shapes to preserve their correct relative regions. Boston students are shown the two maps side by side to compare and contrast, enriching their understanding of geography and correcting misconceptions about the world. This shift allows us to better understand our world, maps, and racism, all at once.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
* Some schools are changing from the Mercator to Peters projection for world maps.

* The Mercator projection greatly exaggerates the size of areas closer to the poles, like the United States, compared to those closer to the equator, like much of Africa.

* All maps create distortions, but the universal use of the Mercator projection distorts our understanding of the world.

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How Maps Distort Our Perception of the World

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Some schools are switching from the universally used Mercator projection, igniting discussions on how maps influence our worldview.

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A very interesting and informative podcat featuring Professor Gloria Ladson-Billings https://www.theantiracisteducator.com/podcast/episode/2c8557b7/culturally-relevant-pedagogy-can-save-a-bad-curriculum-in-conversation-with-gloria-ladson-billings

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is a theoretical model that focuses on multiple aspects of student achievement and supports students to uphold their cultural identities. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy also calls for students to develop critical perspectives that challenge societal inequalities.

Gloria Ladson-Billings proposed three main components of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: (a) a focus on student learning and academic success, (b) developing students' cultural competence to assist students in developing positive ethnic and social identities, and (c) supporting students' critical consciousness or their ability to recognize and critique societal inequalities. All three components need to be utilized.

Three Components of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Student Learning

The students' intellectual growth and moral development, but also their ability to problem-solve and reason.

Cultural Competence

Skills that support students to affirm and appreciate their culture of origin while developing fluency in at least one other culture.

Critical Consciousness

The ability to identify, analyze, and solve real-world problems, especially those that result in societal inequalities.

Resources

Django Paris and H. Samy Alim eds., Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World, Chapter 8, Teachers College Press (2017)

Gloria Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The Dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co.

Gloria Ladson-Billings, "Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" (PDF) , American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 32, No. 3 , accessed January 2020.

Questions: Teacher and Leader Policy Office | TLPO@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-7331

Last Reviewed: Thursday, March 09, 2023

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy helps students to uphold their cultural identities while developing fluency in at least one other culture.

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John Amaechi OBE: Importance of acknowledging unconscious bias to fight everyday racism | 5 News

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John Amaechi is a psychologist, a New York Times best-selling author and a former NBA basketball player. In the wake of the George Floyd killing and the Black Lives Matter protests, and at a time when many people want to learn how they can be better allies for black people, we asked John what it means to be anti-racist.

There's a big difference between being not-racist and being anti-racist. I know it doesn't seem like it. I know that both of these things seem equally good, but they're not.

Video Transcript Video Transcript

John: There's a big difference between being not-racist and being anti-racist. I know it doesn't seem like it. I know that both of these things seem equally good, but they're not. Think of an interaction. I'm afraid you've probably had one right? With somebody, maybe even somebody you respect, maybe even someone you love, who says something that's racist, does something that's racist, behaves in a way that's racist. Someone who's not-racist: they won't say or do anything in that moment. They want to not rock the boat. They don't want to be upstanding. Instead, not-racists: they tend to be bystanders. But afterwards, after the event, they'll find other people who are also not-racist and they'll talk to each other about, well, that was terrible, that thing that happened the other day. I would never say anything like that. Anti-racists are different and they come in all shapes and sizes. They come in all ages. Anti-racists are constantly looking around to say, what tools do I have available to make it clear that this is not acceptable? And this, this is what anti-racists do. It's not that they stand up at the dinner table when their uncle's a little bit racist and kick the turkey off. That's not it. But what they do is they say, I'm sorry uncle John. That's not acceptable. That's racist. Quietly and respectfully. What they do is they make sure that they never miss an opportunity to let the world know where they stand, even if they can t change everything. You're probably in a position where other people have a lot more power around you. I know how that feels. Sometimes, we sit and we look around us and we think, how can I possibly change all this? And sometimes you can't. But what you can do is make sure wherever you go, people know where you stand. They know that you're an anti-racist. You become a beacon of light that way. You become someone who makes other people want to be anti-racist too. You've got tools at your disposal. Learn. Read. And make everybody clear where you stand.

Sometimes, we sit and we look around us and we think, 'how can I possibly change all this?' And sometimes you can't. But what you can do is make sure wherever you go, people know where you stand. They know that you're an anti-racist. You become a beacon of light that way. You become someone who makes other people want to be anti-racist too. You've got tools at your disposal. Learn. Read. And make everybody clear where you stand.

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you're worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you're doing.

If you're in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on BBC Action Line.

It's important that you keep yourself safe when confronting racism. For support and advice, see the articles below.

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Not-racist v anti-racist: what's the difference?

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John Amaechi describes the difference between being not-racist and anti-racist.

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Aisha Thomas: Why Representation Really Matters

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"Until society represents everyone, the question will always be 'where do I belong?' " Aisha Thomas's TEDx talk challenges us to imagine a world where all races are represented in all aspects of life. Where children grow up with a sense of value, connection and understanding of difference.

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Books to understand and challenge racism for children and young adults

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Books to understand and challenge racism for children and young adults

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Looking for more in Book Lists?

These books, including fiction, poetry, graphic novels and non-fiction, will introduce children and young adults to key concepts around racism including stereotyping, bullying and racial violence and the history of racist language and structures.

We also have a book list for titles specifically relating to Black History Month, as well as a book list celebrating our favourite BPOC protagonists in children's and young adult books.

Pick up these books through our bookshop.org affiliation! As well as supporting independent bookshops, a small portion of the profits helps our programmes to change more lives through reading and writing.

Buy and support

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Book List: Books to understand and challenge racism for children and young adults

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We are a national charity bringing the benefits of reading and writing to everyone in Scotland.

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Anti-Racist Education Guide for Teachers – Highland One World

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My favourite quote from Building Racial Literacy!

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Loretta J. Ross: Don't call people out -- call them in | TED

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EIS Anti-racist Sub-Committee members Nuzhat Uthmani and Adam Sutcliffe share their reflections on Black History Month and the importance of anti-Racist education all year round.
Nuzhat Uthmani is the current Chair of the EIS Anti-racist Sub-Committee, former Principal Teacher in Glasgow City Council, and currently Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Stirling.
In a recent update to Scotland's Programme for Government, the commitment to anti-racist education and structures within the educational landscape has been reaffirmed by the Scottish Government. The EIS has long been dedicated to promoting anti-racism, offering various resources to combat harmful stereotypes and marginalisation. These efforts, such as anti-racist education, the Myths of Immigration resources, and welcome packs for refugee, migrant and asylum seeker families, reflect an ongoing promise to foster an inclusive and respectful educational environment for Scotland's learners and teachers.

While Black History Month continues to witness schools and classrooms celebrating with displays and messages against racism, it also raises questions about the annual nature of these displays. Is dedicating just one month to celebrate the contributions of Black and People of Colour in society, both nationally and globally, truly effective? Does it risk becoming a tokenistic gesture that only scratches the surface of the pervasive issue of racism?

Is dedicating just one month to celebrate the contributions of Black and People of Colour in society, both nationally and globally, truly effective?

Racism is not confined to history but is a contemporary problem plaguing our society. Minority ethnic communities continue to suffer from the legacy of enslavement, colonisation, and institutional racism. Despite learners with English as an Additional Language often outperforming their monolingual peers by high school graduation, they encounter barriers in higher education and the workplace, hindering similar success. The underrepresentation of minority ethnic teachers, particularly in leadership positions (less than 1%), remains a stark issue. The Scottish Government's Anti-racism in Education Programme aims to address all barriers, with EIS as a key stakeholder raising the importance of tackling racism against educators as well as learners.

These ongoing priorities underscore the need for a year-round focus that goes beyond posters and statements of support. It calls for bold activism and meaningful allyship. What actions will individuals, employers, schools and colleges take to combat racism, and how will they measure their success? These questions should guide our intentions during, and beyond Black History Month.

In examining Black history and the fight against racism, we must also look closer to home. Our curriculum heavily emphasises the Civil Rights Movement in the United States but often overlooks the struggles, sacrifices, and contributions of Black and Asian communities in the UK. While Rosa Parks' story is widely known, the Bristol Bus Boycott and the stories of activists like Jayaben Desai in 1976 and the Southall Youth Movement in the 1970s deserve equal recognition. These communities demonstrated resilience and determination in their fight for equality, a battle that continues today. A current example of this is the fight for justice for Sheku Bayoh, a campaign with which the EIS stands proudly in solidarity.

Black History Month provides an opportunity to highlight these stories, particularly until race equality and anti-racist thinking are fully integrated into the year-round curriculum. This year, let's not only emphasise the importance of being anti-racist but also delve into how our institutions can still disadvantage certain individuals based simply on who they are, and celebrate individuals who have fought back. Investigate the inequalities that exist not only in education but across politics and health. Let's work together to dismantle these unnecessary barriers for everyone, ensuring a fair and inclusive educational landscape for all.
Adam Sutcliffe is a Principal Teacher of Modern Languages in Aberdeenshire, on EIS Council and Equality Committee, and the Aberdeenshire Local Association Secretary
I asked to write this article as I am on a journey; on a journey to become an anti-racist (educator). I am male, I am white and I am (believe it or not) middle-aged; and I have begun to accept the privilege that this bestows upon me. This journey is one I will probably never complete, but I will certainly be doing everything I can to get there.

I'd like to start with two definitions which I believe encapsulate what anti-racism is. Firstly, in its publication "Introduction to Anti-racist Curriculum Development" the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER) states, "Anti-racism is a concept which goes beyond non-discrimination or general support for equality and diversity. Its aim is to actively tackle all forms of racism." And secondly, from the Chair of the EIS Anti-racist Sub-Committee, Nuzhat Uthmani, "Anti-racism is a verb, an action word".

In Scotland, as across the UK, Black History Month, celebrated in October, offers educators a significant opportunity to recognise the contributions and experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals and communities. It is a time for reflection, celebration, and education. But why is this anti-racist initiative limited to a single month in the year? As educators in a multi-ethnic system, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the contributions of BAME communities and individuals are reflected in what we teach year-round.

As educators in a multi-ethnic system, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that the contributions of BAME communities and individuals are reflected in what we teach year-round.

Just like a dog is not just for Christmas, anti-racist education is not just for Black History Month. Anti-racist education involves educating learners about the historic and systemic roots of racism, fostering critical thinking skills to challenge biases and stereotypes, and equipping them with the tools to recognise and combat discrimination in all its forms. Anti-racist education can be implemented year-round by going beyond discussing iconic figures during October and incorporating contributions of BAME people into subjects and topics across the curriculum every day. One simple way of doing this can be by ensuring that any resources you use feature BAME groups or individuals and tell their stories.

The term "Decolonising the Curriculum" can unfortunately sometimes be seen negatively by some in society as suggesting we abandon everything that we use now, be it texts, approaches or ways of development. From an anti-racist viewpoint, it is not that at all - it is about adopting a wider range of perspectives. Why restrict ourselves to a western, Eurocentric outlook, when there is a more global view we could enjoy? It is about searching for, highlighting, and celebrating the stories and histories of BAME people both in Scotland and across the world.

The CRER publication declares that "you don't need to be a history teacher to build these narratives into lesson planning. From the built environment in cities like Glasgow and Dundee, to the origins of mathematics, to everyday things like a cup of tea, or sugar used in baking, there are connections to be made with these histories." In my own subject of modern languages, we are, in my view, ideally placed to decolonise the curriculum, replete with the stories of people from Africa, Asia and South America and from all walks of life. In a recent issue of Stride (the Global Citizenship magazine for schools), Fiona Barclay from the University of Stirling shares an innovative resource called Remembering Empire, which takes the complex story of the French empire in Algeria and aims to grow Global Citizenship values and develop French skills.

By recognising the importance of and committing to anti-racist education all year round we can move closer to a Scottish education system which truly and deeply values diversity and inclusivity.

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Embedding black history beyond the October month

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EIS Anti-racist Sub-Committee members Nuzhat Uthmani and Adam Sutcliffe share their reflections on Black History Month and the importance of anti-Racist education all year round. Nuzhat Uthmani is the current Chair of the EIS Anti-racist Sub-Committee, former Principal Teacher in Glasgow City Council, and currently Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Stirling.

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Decolonising Geography challenges the reproduction of colonial practices of knowledge in our classrooms. It contributes to developing curricula that challenge 'universal truths' and objective knowledge in geography by offering pedagogical techniques to empower students to take responsibility in co-creating knowledge and building critical geographies; offering a space for reflection on the content we teach in secondary geography; and providing practical teaching resources.

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How to be a better ally to your students: black allies

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How to be a better ally to your students: black allies

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Notes by film-maker and diversity inclusion facilitator Dr Mena Fombo (with film-maker Michael Jenkins and Assistant Principal & Diversity and Inclusion education consultant, Aisha Thomas). Acknowledge racism exists
Assistant Principal & Diversity and Inclusion education consultant, Aisha Thomas, states the importance of protecting young people from racism and safeguarding being everyone's responsibility. She emphasises the need for teachers to acknowledge that racism exists and to take quick action when students report racist incidents.
Knowledge is powerful 'I felt really disgusted about how they handled it. I felt like they didn't care at all.'
Listen 'We grow up believing that our voices aren't worthy of being heard, and that our struggles aren't what people want to hear.'
Representation matters (Secondary school pupil) Take action (Secondary school pupil)
Students that were interviewed for the film felt that any use of the 'N' word was an act of racism but that in their experience, schools acted to 'protect' the person who used the word rather than support the students who had been the victim of racism. Encouraging learning opportunities for users of racist language is a positive step, but teachers can also help by recognising the impact on students' mental health when they don't feel heard, supported or that action is being taken. It's essential to be confident in our knowledge and understanding of racist language in order to manage incidents effectively.

Students also felt they wanted teachers to offer more opportunities for them to share the problems they faced in school, particularly around racism. They felt if teachers understood them better, they would be able take more informed action when these incidents occur.

Students interviewed spoke passionately about wanting more historical contexts. Aisha states that representation matters and that the curriculum is full of opportunities to balance out learning. As she says: 'When you talk to children about slavery, you're also going to talk to them about Mansa Musa and African kingdoms' - because many black students feel they are not represented within the school curriculum, and on the occasions when they are - such as Black History Month - it can feel negative, Americanised, or just centred on the Transatlantic Slave Trade or Windrush.

Aisha emphasises it's important to take quick action when students report racist incidents, taking their concerns seriously and recognising the impact on them.

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How to be a better ally to your students: black allies

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Black students and teachers share their experiences of racism in school and offer tips for safeguarding students.

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Story of the Building Racial Literacy Programme – Part 3

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Story of the Building Racial Literacy Programme – Part 2

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Story of the Building Racial Literacy Programme

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We've partnered with BBC, Into Film and The Black Curriculum to bring you a selection of resources on black experiences - from black British history to global contributions, we understand that representation matters and young people need to see themselves reflected in their education.

This year we're proud to host additional resources and research from the Penguin and Runnymede Trust Lit in Colour campaign, which aims to support schools to make the teaching and learning of English literature more inclusive of writers of colour.

Teachers and parents can use this hub for information, advice and practical resources to better understand the experiences of black individuals. Within the hub we're highlighting Black British History and resources to support the teaching of anti-racism and the Black Lives Movement. We're also acknowledging the contributions of black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals throughout history.

We'd love to receive more contributions from you - our community of teachers around the world, so please continue to share your work using the uploader below and tagging #blackexperiences.

Please be aware that some of the resources in this collection may include imagery that some people might find uncomfortable or offensive; we need to understand our history, even the worst parts of it. We recommend you check the content prior to using it to ensure it's age appropriate for your students.

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Bringing more black experiences into the classroom: a collection of resources

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To decolonise the curriculum, we have to decolonise ourselves

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To decolonise the curriculum, we have to decolonise ourselves

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For many, the movement to decolonise the curriculum is a new thing - a component of the free speech "culture wars" being played out on campuses in the US and the UK. In truth, it's nothing new.

Its roots are etched deep in history and spread across the world.

They surface at moments like April 1966, when politicians, musicians, and intellectuals of the global African diaspora gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for the first World Festival of Negro Arts. Set against the backdrop of the push for civil rights in the US and the beginning of the negritude movement in France, this forum rejected the colonialist mindset that prevailed in art and literature and sought to foreground the contribution of Africa to the evolution of human knowledge.

To take another example, when India and Pakistan gained their independence from British rule in 1947, reforms were undertaken to rewrite educational material and syllabuses in schools to reflect a change in how the history of the region was perceived by the new leadership.

While previously colonised nations had an immediate impetus to rethink their curriculums and understandings, it would seem that former colonisers have not shared the same sense of urgency.

Leading scholar-activist Gus John, who has championed anti-racism in higher education for decades, bemoans the fact that the university experience continues to be largely framed through a eurocentric gaze. He is frank in his assessment of institutions, saying that they have "failed to dismantle the structural and cultural manifestations of discrimination and exclusion."

John believes their conception of "decolonising the curriculum" has been too simplistic. The conversation has been about closing the gaps in academic attainment and widening the selection of the reading list. Both of these measures, though important, are part of a much larger need for reform.

Post-colonial sociologist Gurminder Bhambra, from the University of Sussex, agrees. While student-led campaigns such as Why Is my Curriculum White, Rhodes Must Fall, and the decolonisation campaign in Cambridge, did much to spread awareness and build momentum, they have yet to push the sector to follow through with a "sustained process of self-examination and change" at the degree required to achieve change.

It starts with each of us

Gus and Gurminder explain that decolonising the curriculum is about rebalancing the eurocentric outlook of a university and this requires a deep interrogation of structures that produce inequalities.

Every member of staff need to be involved in that process, and students should be engaged with it too. Much as institutions may like to think the issue can be solved by working their way through a checklist of actions, decolonising begins with individuals deconstructing themselves and looking inward to the roots of their own identity.

The university community must consider the implications of Europe and North America being considered the only reliable sources of knowledge. How have other cultures been excluded from shaping our understandings?

Gus explains that decolonising is about "recognising and reorienting where power is drawn from." And, as Gurminder knows all too well, this is a process that is concerned with, "exchanging rather than transferring knowledge." As such, academics must be ready to learn from students too, rather than assume they know best.

Up to now, most of the impetus for change has come from the bottom up, from student activists demanding universities change what they teach and how they teach it. But in some universities, leadership teams have begun to commit themselves to the process of redressing inequalities. John would like to see vice-chancellors recognise their responsibility to lead on these issues, rather than simply respond to student campaigns.

Shifting the way institutions engage with students on these issues has been a key priority for NUS Vice-President (Higher Education), Amatey Doku. Students want to see leaders of institutions "acknowledge they have a problem" because it is only by being honest real progress can be achieved.

Expanding the vision

As Amatey explains, "institutions should partner with students to define an expansive vision of success." Closing attainment gaps and increasing staff diversity are a starting point, and a crucial one, but they are not the only goals. Universities must not narrow the scope of the conversation to focus only on "black and ethnic minority" staff and students.

A fuller vision is one that examines how all students and staff engage with knowledge, culture and history. How can we turn up the volume on the voices of those who have been excluded from the curriculum? For Amatey, this pursuit is ultimately about ensuring each and every student feels like "they fully belong" at their institution.

As institutions of higher learning, the sector bears a particular responsibility to show leadership in the wider community in disturbing consensual thinking and reshaping understandings. While acknowledging that the decolonisation discourse will preoccupy institutions for some time, Gus also notes that it would be a "real pity," if this work did not impact the formulation of public policy more generally and function as a "tool of liberation," for communities. This underpins precisely why providers of higher education need to be model examples who are held to the highest standards of practice.
With thanks to Gus John, Coventry University, Gurminder Bhambra, University of Sussex, Amatey Doku, National Union of Students, and Judy Friedberg, Coventry University

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To decolonise the curriculum, we have to decolonise ourselves | Wonkhe

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Wonkhe's Minto Felix discovers that the movement to decolonise the curriculum is not a new thing but that it is in need of a radical shift in approach.

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Into Films: Celebrating Black History and Experiences

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Into Films: Celebrating Black History and Experiences

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Bring stories to celebrate Black History and Experiences into your classroom using Into Film+

Scroll to find out more

​Use Into Film+ to teach Black History through October and beyond

October is Black History Month, an important time in the calendar for educators. However, while Black History Month can help encourage schools to prioritise teaching this area of British and world history, much more needs to be done in allowing young people to understand how it has shaped the world they live in today, and how this impacts them individually. We believe that Black history and experiences shouldn't only be brought into classroom discussions during Black History Month, but considered throughout the academic year.

With the free* Into Film+ streaming service you can access an educational programme of feature films, short films, and documentaries, many of which feature bonus content from expert speakers to evoke classroom discussions and critical thinking. We also offer many film guides and resources to support you in teaching the topics broached within the films.

Sign up for a free Into Film Account to access our Black History and Experiences programme and so much more.

Stories of inspirational change-makers

The stories within this programme celebrate a wide variety of past and present Black stories, as well as Black figures from all walks of life who have acted as inspirational change-makers for future generations. While many films focus on the deep injustices and trauma experienced by generations of Black people, we're also keen to showcase films that demonstrate Black experiences of joy and celebration; success and love. These facets of the Black experience are just as important to acknowledge and can transform our ways of educating and learning.

​Film to transform your teaching

Our Into Film+ programme of films includes exclusive contributions from key Black figures and organisations and will support teachers in both primary and secondary schools across the UK.

We have exclusive video content from stars of films such as Soul, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, A United Kingdom and Blue Story, discussing topics from the representation of Black culture on screen, the realistic nature of the film's stories, and recommendations for young people who want to pursue a career in the film industry.

Check out some of the films we're offering below, and sign up now to begin your journey with film in the classroom.

* Screenings for an entertainment or extra-curricular purpose require a PVS (Public Video Screening) Licence from Filmbankmedia. State-funded schools in England are covered by the PVS Licence.

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Celebrating Black History and Experiences

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Our programme of films, resources and exclusive content allows you to embed this crucial topic in the curriculum throughout the school year.

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Exceptional figures from politics, business, sport, science and more share their insights into being black and British today, how they got where they are, and thoughts on what the future holds.

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Exceptional figures from all walks of life share their thoughts on being black today.

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Lenny Henry explores how his culture has become woven into the fabric of the UK.

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Critical Thinking and Curriculum Design Padlet

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Critical Thinking and Curriculum Design Padlet

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Dr Shashi Tharoor MP - Britain Does Owe Reparations

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Scottish museum of empire, slavery, colonialism and migration

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Guidance on racial slurs in the classroom

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Guidance on racial slurs in the classroom

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Promoting Race Equality and Anti-racist Education

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As educators, we try our best to make the classroom a safe space where everyone feels comfortable enough to explore sensitive topics without experiencing harm. Uncomfortable discussions are often valuable learning opportunities that every pupil can benefit from. For example, in PSHE, teachers or external organisations leading workshops often set ground rules to create a safe space and create an exceptional opportunity for pupils to write down or discuss slurs they may have heard to unpack the problematic use of that language, understand its history and the harm it can cause harm outside the classroom. Understandably, it is difficult to teach why certain words are unacceptable unless pupils know which words are being referred to. In these instances, I will assume that the educator has the best of intentions if they verbalise the N-word in a classroom. However, best intentions should be considered alongside the impact of decisions made in the classroom.

The 'safe space' paradox

Despite our best attempts at creating 'safe spaces' in a classroom, there is often no such thing for marginalised pupils (e.g. pupils who regularly experience racism, homophobia and ableism at school). When we try to create a safe space, it risks prioritising the comfort of majority ethnic, heterosexual and able-bodied pupils, or simply those who are brave enough to voice their discomfort when offensive language is discussed in an educational context. That is why some inclusive organisations are opting for the term 'brave spaces' instead, by recognising that spaces such as a classroom cannot be completely neutral and immune to the complex social power dynamics that exist in wider society.

Minimising Harm

As a rule of thumb, if a person from a marginalised group tells you that is not OK to say a certain word, even in educational contexts, then don't use it. If you punch one person and it doesn't hurt, then you punch a second person who says it hurts, do you keep punching them just because the first person wasn't in pain? Even if the majority (or most vocal) of a marginalised group say it's OK and a minority find it harmful, then we should stop verbalising the word as part of our quest to minimise harm.

To be able to do that, teachers need to be sensitive to the various social identities (both visible and invisible) in a classroom and the power dynamics happening within. This also requires aware of one's positionality (i.e. the social identities a teacher possesses, such as a white cis-gendered, able-bodied woman). Simply having the role of a teacher, which is a traditional figure of authority, creates an imbalance of power. This means, a teacher (especially a white teacher) may not appear as approachable for a young person of colour who is struggling to voice their discomfort around the use of racial slurs, especially in front of a classroom full of peers.

Why Teachers Shouldn't Say the N-Word

As mentioned above, even if it was just a small minority of Black people who had a problem with teachers using the N-word in the classroom, that would not give teachers a free pass to use it. It should go without saying that Black people do not form one homogenous group. Either way, looking at the 18,600 complaints received by the BBC after the N-word was said in full as part of a report on racist hate crime, there should be no doubt that the teachers should not be using it even if the context seems right.

Some like to point out that Black rappers use the N-words in their songs as if that means non-Black people can use it as well. The positionality of the person saying the word is important because we are social beings navigating complex social dynamics. The N-word was used historically to dehumanise Black people, to justify their murder at the hands of the non-Black people, and like some women re-appropriating the B-word, some Black people have chosen to re-appropriate the word as a form of resistance. However, for many, anti-Blackness is far too real and harmful for the violence of the word to be erased. Even in a classroom context where a teacher may be reading out the words from a book about Black empowerment. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white American policeman and the death of Sheku Bayoh in the custody of several white Scottish police officers in Kirkcaldy remind us that anti-Blackness is still a lived experience that many Black pupils may be experiencing in schools, both globally and in Scotland.

So even if the teacher has the best intentions, the potential impact on a pupil's health and wellbeing should outweigh all the alleged educational value of saying the word out loud. Saying 'N-word' or having it in writing in historical documents, art or literature (ideally created by Black people) are more sensible options that can help safeguard the wellbeing of pupils. If there is no Black pupil in that particular classroom, non-Black pupils may equally be sensitive to the recent violence that was so publicly shared with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. At the end of the day, teachers should be modelling what they expect from their pupils and saying the N-word in full is not a behaviour we should be encouraging.

Racial trauma

Some may say that we spend too much time sanitising language, we are not preparing pupils to face the harsh realities of the world and we are reducing resilience. There may be complaints about 'PC-gone-too-far' and 'cancel culture.' But those tend to be the voices of people who don't feel the pain of the punch.

Pupils will be exposed to anti-Blackness in the 'outside' world. They will see it on social media, written in texts and in graffiti on the streets. How can we say we are molly-coddling pupils, if those same pupils are dealing with hate speech on social media and in school on a regular basis? If we truly want to give them opportunities to become more resilient, then we need to create spaces where they can feel safer and heal from the racism they will face, or are already facing today.

What teachers need to consider is the racial trauma that can occur in their classrooms, despite their best efforts at creating a 'safe' space in a contextualised, educational environment. Racial trauma refers to the impact that racism has on a person's health and wellbeing. What makes racial trauma so distinctive for Black people and people of colour, is that it is:

ongoing and cumulative (experiences of racism can occur over and over again, happening across one's life for many people),

subjective (not everyone will react or feel the same way about racially-violent content)

collective (an incident of racial violence in one location can have repercussions on the mental health of people across the globe, such as the murder of George Floyd affecting the mental health Black people around the world)

historical (racial violence from the past is still emotionally distressing for the descendants of colonised and racialised people today)

With racial trauma in mind, every teacher should consider how the content of their lessons could be harming the health and wellbeing of the pupils they teach. Consider the use of trigger warnings before exposing pupils to racially-violent content. As much as possible, have conversations with pupils (collectively and individually) about what would make them feel more comfortable when learning about racially-sensitive topics. Even if there are no visible ethnic minorities present, teachers should be modelling behaviour which safeguards the mental health of those who experience racism on a regular basis.
Useful references: Stop using the N word | gal-dem Racism - the Threat to our Mental Health (theantiracisteducator.com) Racial Trauma, Black History and Black Joy (The Anti-Racist Educator Podcast) Mental Health Services for Black and PoC Youth (The Anti-Racist Educator Podcast) 'Living While Black' is the book getting real about racial trauma | gal-dem

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Guidance on racial slurs in the classroom

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Guidance on racial slurs in the classroom Making the classroom a 'safe space' for learning As educators, we try our best to make the classroom a safe space where everyone feels comfortable enough t...

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Young Person's Perspective - Creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone

My name is Bruna and I am the President of the Anti-Racism Club in my school. My goal for our school is to create an inclusive and safe environment to everyone. However, I also have a bigger goal, and that is to give every single young person a role model and have real knowledge about each other which will help us to understand each other better.

Nowadays, our society is like a building, where we have people on the top and people in the bottom, and what I want to do is create a nice and peaceful neighbourhood where all have the same amount of help and opportunities. I'm at the beginning of this huge change that includes every single one of us. We have to educate ourselves before educating others.

I have created the website for our club and created some educational PowerPoints. We also have an Instagram account where we can share and support others more easily. Our main point of the social media is to help other students with racism in their schools.

Our club secretary has sent a letter that we, as a club, have written to the Scottish Government to make decolonisation of the curriculum mandatory. We believe it is important that every young person can see themselves in the classroom, have role models and have a sense of belonging. If we see the artists, inventors, scientists, writers, mathematicians , sport people, chiefs and all the activities of a wider range of people this will help stop racism. To make it mandatory, it means all schools in Scotland need to make this change.

Last year we had an Anti-racism week, we had some events to build anti-racist culture in our school. We made orange our colour and made orange ribbons which many teachers and students are still wearing showing their support.

At the beginning of this year, we started to work on our school board where we can share a tiny percentage of what we are doing in our club to bring more awareness of our club and to encourage other students to join.

In our club room, our safe space, one of our members gave the idea of having a suggestions box so we can share our thoughts of events or things that we can reform through the club. We are also making a list of topics to discuss. So far, we have spoken about 9/11, religion, The Little Mermaid film and the World Cup. We are learning from each other, learning to be more open and understanding of other people's beliefs.

We have had the opportunity of teaching our first language to other young people in the school. For example, Arabic and Portuguese. This helps bring more awareness of other languages to the school, removing the unknown that can lead to discrimination and also for the students that speak these languages a feeling of belonging.

We also want to share and learn from other schools. It is important that every school has a club to make more people feel safe and part of their school. We took part in two webinars for Education Scotland and ran a stall for Glasgow City Council PARTIE (Promoting Anti-Racism In Education) event. We hope to do more as it is so important to share, learn and support each other.

The club has given us confidence, we are learning from each other about being anti-racist, we are more aware of other people's cultures, and we feel anti-racism is being taken seriously in our school. We are feeling safer, proud, happier, stronger and most importantly - heard.
This is the beginning of this huge change and includes every single one of us.
The Building Racial Literacy programme is open to all educators in Scotland and is aimed at those interested in becoming anti-racist educators and leaders.

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Young Person's Perspective - Creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone

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Young people learning from each other about being anti-racists.

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Did Colonialism Ever End? | Footnotes with Kehinde Andrews

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Picture books about refugees and migration

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Picture books about refugees and migration

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Pick up these books through our bookshop.org affiliation! As well as supporting independent bookshops, a small portion of the profits helps our programmes to change more lives through reading and writing.

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10 picture books about refugees and migration

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Here are 10 picture books which tell important stories about extending humanity and kindness to those looking for a place to call home, exploring the plight of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with sensitivity and heart.

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Looking for more in Book Lists?

We believe that books are a powerful tool and can provide a useful starting point for understanding the experience of migrants and opening up conversations around the refugee crisis.

These books tell moving stories about seeking refuge in a sensitive and hopeful way, encouraging older children to consider the challenges people face when forced to leave their homes.

Share

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Understanding migrant experiences (age 9-11)

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Middle grade books for 9-11 year olds about exploring and understanding the experiences of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

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Windrush Day 2021: Celebrations and storytelling

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Windrush Day takes place on 22 June - A special day to remember when around 500 migrants from the Caribbean arrived at Tilbury Docks in Essex in 1948.

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In 1948, Britain was just starting to recover from World War II. Thousands of buildings had been bombed, loads of houses were destroyed and it all needed to be rebuilt.

In the Caribbean, lots of young men and women had served in the British armed forces because, at the time, many Caribbean countries were still under British rule and not yet independent.

After the war, some of them answered an advert to come to Britain where there were lots of different jobs to do.  These people became known as the Windrush Generation, named after the ship that brought the first arrivals to the UK - the Empire Windrush.

To mark the 70th anniversary of that first journey, Maya and Levi head back to the Caribbean islands that their granddads left to see where they grew up and why they decided to start new lives in the UK.

They each had three missions to complete while they were there.

You can find out what Maya and Levi learned by watching Finding My Family - Windrush: A Newsround Special.

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Finding My Family - Windrush: A Newsround Special

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Maya and Levi head to the Caribbean to find out about where their grandparents grew up, and why they moved to the UK as part of a historic period that changed the face of Britain

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Akala | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

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Looking for more in Book Lists?

October is Black History Month, and the perfect time for readers of all ages to delve into books about Black history. This book list includes a wide range of engaging and informative reads - featuring picture books, children's fiction, graphic novels, YA non-fiction and more.

We also have a list of Great reads for Black History Month for older readers and adults.

Looking for more information? Take a look at Black History Month UK, The Black Curriculum campaign, and the Black History Month UK's resource pack.

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Book List: Black History Month books for children and young adults

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October is Black History Month(this will open in a new window), and the perfect time for readers of all ages to delve into books about Black history. This book list includes a wide range of engaging

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Promoting Race Equality and Anti-racist Education

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In the Equality Act (2010), race can mean colour or nationality. It can also mean ethnic or national origins, which may not be the same as current nationality.

What do people usually mean by race?

Race is often linked to the idea that people can be divided into different groups based on physical characteristics that they are perceived to share such as skin colour, eye shape, etc. The term race has also been applied to groups with a common language ( the 'Latin race'), to religious groups (the 'Jewish race'), and to groups with few or no physical traits that distinguish them from their neighbours (the 'Irish race').

What do scientists say?

Although some people continue to think of race as a number of physically distinct populations, scientific advances in the 20th century demonstrated that human physical variations do not fit a 'racial' model. Instead, human physical variations tend to overlap.
'There is no evidence that the groups we commonly call "races" have distinct, unifying genetic identities. In fact, there is more genetic variation within what we think of as races than there is between groups. Despite associations with surface characteristics like skin color, there are no clear boundaries where one racial category begins and another ends.' Centre on the Developing Child, Harvard University (2021)
Scientists have proven it is false that humans can be categorised into different races based on their biology. Health risks traditionally associated with race are now being linked to the impact of racism.

Instead it is accepted that these categories of racial groups are a social construction i.e. a human-made idea. For example who has been defined as 'white' or 'Black' has changed over time as ideas have changed.

Where did the idea of race come from?

The idea of race began to evolve in the 17th century as Europeans began to explore and colonise different places. Race emerged as a concept that tried to justify exploitation, domination, and violence against people who were deemed non-white.

During the time of the British Empire, theories that people could be divided into 'racial' groups became popular. These theories, although untrue, made it easier for Britain to downplay the brutality of slavery and colonisation. 'Other races' were portrayed as inferior, even subhuman, and in need of 'help' from Britain. This impacted the racial stereotypes we see today, where Minority Ethnic people are often treated as though they are 'different' in comparison to the 'normal' white Scottish community. This sense of difference and hierarchy underpins racism.

Race has also influenced British immigration policy. For example, the British Nationality Act 1981 scrapped old UK and Colonies citizenship in a way that conferred new status of 'British citizen' automatically on white people but often conditionally on Black and Asian people who were previously deemed British citizens; the Windrush scandal followed.

While the concept of race has no biological basis, racism is a system of social categorisation which advantages certain groups of people and disadvantages other groups of people. The social categorisation that has resulted has had real impact and caused untold damage.
'race has real consequences because racial categories were invented for the sole purpose of reinforcing inequality.'
Dr Zuleyka Zevallos, Sociology of Race - The Other Sociologist

This system of social categorisation based on race has also resulted in white privilege: this refers to the advantages which automatically apply to a person because they are white, in a society which is designed around a world view of a white majority ethnic group.

What do people mean by ethnicity?

An ethnic group is a group of people who are bound together by certain characteristics they share; these might include language, culture, history, folklore, ideology, national origin, nationality or ancestry.

What is racism?

Interpersonal racism

Prejudices, individual actions and discriminatory behaviours where a person makes assumptions about the abilities, motives and intents of other people based on race. This set of prejudices can lead to cruel actions (e.g. racist hate speech) and unintentional actions towards a person or a group of people.

Internalised racism

This occurs as a result of subliminal messages of racial inferiority and superiority present in society. This can cause Minority Ethnic people to internalise negative messages about their own abilities and intrinsic worth.

Institutional racism

When institutions and organisations discriminate against Minority Ethnic people to limit their rights. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry defined it as:

'The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantages Minority Ethnic people.' (6.34)

Structural racism

This refers to the economic, political, social and cultural structures, actions and beliefs that systemise an unequal distribution of privilege, resources, safety and power in favour of the dominant racial group at the expense of all other racial groups. Examples of this can be found in the over-representation of certain Minority Ethnic groups in poverty, unemployment and Covid-related deaths .

And finally, is xenophobia the same as racism?

'Xenophobia is the fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners, whereas racism has a broader meaning set including a belief that racial differences produce the inherent superiority of a particular race. Although they are similar, they are different enough that it is possible for one to be both xenophobic and racist'.
Xenophobia vs. Racism: Explaining the Difference | Merriam-Webster

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How is race defined in law? In the Equality Act (2010), race can mean colour or nationality. It can also mean ethnic or national origins, which may not be the same as current nationality. What do p...

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Arnault Kasa, from Peele primary school in West Lothian, explains how a well-planned cultural awareness day can engage learners, mobilise the community and create a sustainable culture of respect and dignity.

Arnult Kasa (right)

We hosted a cultural awareness day at Peele primary with the following aims: to encourage learners to reflect on their identity and to display the work collated by all classes to parents and the school community. As part of my anti-racist education work, I believe that it is important to celebrate and represent different voices, especially those which sometimes slip through the cracks. The wealth of cultures and languages that exist in our community is huge; the event was a way to recognise that we are proud to be part of such a diverse community.

"The wealth of cultures and languages that exist in our community is huge; the event was a way to recognise that we are proud to be part of such a diverse community."

Why we did it

From a very young age, I have been passionate about learning about different cultures and languages. Being in this privileged position as a teacher, allows me to come up with ideas and implement them in a sustainable manner. I was given the opportunity to organise the cultural awareness fair for my school this year. I reflected on the wealth of cultures and diversity that we are surrounded by in our community and wanted to organise an event that allowed everyone to participate and contribute.
As I sat down to organise this event, my aim was to ensure that this would not be just a one-off box ticking exercise. I wanted to create a sustainable culture within the school where everyone is seen, valued and respected for their authentic self.

What we did

The event in itself was the culmination of fantastic learning from across the school showcased in a display of work from P1 to P7. The learners in P1 and P2 focused on drawing flags using a pictograph, these flags represented the origins of the different learners in the school. In addition to that, learners in P2 created QR codes welcoming parents in different languages. Further, up the school in P4/5, learners created diversity quilts, which focused on their identity, and the various things, which make them who they are. In P6, learners analysed the school lunch menu and wrote a letter to West Lothian council with some recommendations on how they could make the menu more diverse to reflect our community. Finally, in P7, learners researched historical figures, wrote poems about diversity and reflected on how the protected characteristics could affect their future aspirations.
All learners prepared their tasks respectively with their peers and these activities were varied and diverse just as our school setting. Learners and staff members came dressed up in traditional clothing, the school beamed with a sense of pride and belonging on that day. Pride, not only for belonging to our roots, but for being part of a school that values, respects and sees everyone.

"My aim was to ensure that this would not be just a one-off box ticking exercise."

The impact

Most parents and learners attended the fair after school and enjoyed seeing their children's work. This was also an opportunity for them to leave some feedback on what is going well and what more the school could do going forward. One of the parents said, "Being exposed to different cultures has made my son a better person". I believe that the impact the event has had on our school community is more than I can express. Seeing learners, parents and staff members being empowered to share a part of themselves is invaluable.

Next steps

The most sustainable way to evolve the work that I have started doing in the community is to create an environment where the people in the community can take up more of an active role in sharing their stories and skills with everyone. The school is the heartbeat of our community, creating that culture where everyone feels valued and seen is a step forward towards building a bond that nobody can break.

"The most sustainable way to evolve the work that I have started doing in the community is to create an environment where the people in the community can take up more of an active role in sharing their stories and skills with everyone."

As an alumni of Education Scotland's Building Racial Literacy course, I have a duty to keep encouraging my learners, parents and colleagues to be anti-racist. Going forward, I am hoping to create a whole school anti-racist pledge with my learners and formally share the work that I am doing with the school community. After completing the Building Racial Literacy Programme, I created an action plan, which I am progressively implementing, and engaging my school in events such as the cultural awareness fair was one of them.

My thought process is one that believes we must continue to make progress and that can only happen by taking action and being part of the solution to the problems that we face in our society.

Find out more about the Building Racial Literacy Programme and Anti-Racist Education in Scotland

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Cultural Awareness Celebration - Stride - online magazine for global citizenship in schools

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Arnault Kasa, from Peele primary school in West Lothian, explains how a well-planned cultural awareness day can engage learners, mobilise the community and create a sustainable culture of respect and dignity.

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We hear from a young person in Glasgow about what her school's Anti-racism club has achieved so far and their ambitions for the future.

My name is Bruna Alves Bento, I'm a student at Drumchapel High School and the President of the Anti-racism Club. My goal for our school is to create an inclusive and safe environment to everyone. However, I also have a bigger goal, and that is to give every single young person a role model and have real knowledge about each other which will help us to understand each other better.

"This is the beginning of this huge change and includes every single one of us."

Removing Inequalities

Nowadays, our society is like a building, where we have people on the top and people in the bottom, and what I want to do is create a nice and peaceful neighbourhood where all have the same amount of help and opportunities. I'm at the beginning of this huge change that includes every single one of us. We have to educate ourselves before educating others.

I have created the website for our club and created some educational PowerPoints. We also have an Instagram account where we can share and support others more easily. Our main point of the social media is to help other students with racism in their schools.

"We, as a club, have written to the Scottish Government to make decolonisation of the curriculum mandatory."

Role Models

Our club secretary has sent a letter that we, as a club, have written to the Scottish Government to make decolonisation of the curriculum mandatory. We believe it is important that every young person can see themselves in the classroom, have role models and have a sense of belonging. If we see the artists, inventors, scientists, writers, mathematicians, sport people, chiefs and all the activities of a wider range of people this will help stop racism. To make it mandatory, it means all schools in Scotland need to make this change.

"We believe it is important that every young person can see themselves in the classroom, have role models and have a sense of belonging."

Work so far

Last year we had an Anti-racism week, we had some events to build anti-racist culture in our school. We made orange our colour and made orange ribbons which many teachers and students are still wearing showing their support.

At the beginning of this year, we started to work on our school board where we can share a tiny percentage of what we are doing in our club to bring more awareness of our club and to encourage other students to join.

In our club room, our safe space, one of our members gave the idea of having a suggestions box so we can share our thoughts of events or things that we can reform through the club. We are also making a list of topics to discuss. So far, we have spoken about 9/11, religion, The Little Mermaid film and the world cup. We are learning from each other, learning to be more open and understanding of other people's beliefs.

"It is important that every school has a club to make more people feel safe and part of their school."

First Languages

We have had the opportunity of teaching our first language to other young people in the school. For example, Arabic and Portuguese. This helps bring more awareness of other languages to the school, removing the unknown that can lead to discrimination and also for the students that speak these languages a feeling of belonging.

Sharing the LearningWe also want to share and learn from other schools. It is important that every school has a club to make more people feel safe and part of their school. We took part in two webinars for Education Scotland and will be running a stall for Glasgow City Council PARTIE (Promoting Anti-Racism In Education) event. We hope to do more as it is so important to share, learn and support each other.

The club has given us confidence, we are learning from each other about being anti-racist, we are more aware of other people's cultures, and we feel anti-racism is being taken seriously in our school. We are feeling safer, proud, happier, stronger and most importantly -heard.

It is the beginning of this huge change and includes every single one of us.

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Anti-Racism Club - a Pupil's Perspective - Stride - online magazine for global citizenship in schools

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We hear from a young person in Glasgow about what her school's Anti-racism club has achieved so far and their ambitions for the future.

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The EIS has a long-standing commitment to anti-racism, and this year will strengthen and develop this work further.

We are pleased to offer a suite of professional Leadership Learning to Mobilise Anti-racist Activism in the Union and Education.
Prompt questions for discussion

How do you interpret the messaging in the posters?

What small steps can we take individually, and together?

How can these posters be used to spark local conversation?

Download our anti-racist posters here -

Download our Anti-racist Leadership Learning Resource for EIS Reps -

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We are planning a series of events, training, and bespoke guidance available to all members and EIS Union representatives.