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How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time

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How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time

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Baratunde Thurston: How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time

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Baratunde Thurston explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on Black Americans who have committed the crimes of ... eating, walking or generally "living while Black." In this profound, thought-provoking and often hilarious talk, he reveals the power of language to change stories of trauma into stories of healing -- while challenging us all to level up.

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This Term Explains Persistent Stereotypes of Asian Cultures

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From bindis at Coachella to Bridgerton’s romanticized imperialism.

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Preparing Classroom Teachers to Teach English Language Learners

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Preparing Classroom Teachers to Teach English Language Learners

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Exploring the Diversity of Black British Muslim Heritage

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Exploring the Diversity of Black British Muslim Heritage

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Exploring the Diversity of Black British Muslim Heritage in London

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KS3 Curriculum based lesson plans have been developed from oral history interviews, photographs and documents collected for the; Exploring the Diversity of Black British Muslim Heritage in London archive. Themes such as the black Muslim experience in the UK, migration and refugees are explored through PowerPoint presentations and prepared lesson plans.

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Reflecting on Black presence in children’s books

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Reflecting on Black presence in children’s books

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Go deeper: Reflecting on Black presence in children's books

The characters that we meet in children's books shape the way that we see ourselves and our community around us. Take a look at the history of Black British representation.

Abolition campaigns and children's literature

When the first books for children appeared in Britain, the country was involved in the transatlantic slave trade. Europeans enslaved people from Africa, taking them to the Caribbean and Americas where they were forced to work in terrible conditions, without pay or other rights.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many people, including children, protested the use of slavery in Britain's Caribbean colonies. Because most people could not vote in Britain, they had to use other ways to get the attention of politicians.

Did you know that until 1918, you had to be a man and own property in order to vote?

Some Black Britons, like Olaudah Equiano, wrote about their early lives in slavery in order to change people's minds about the slave trade. Many white British women participated in boycotts of products made by enslaved people, such as tobacco, cotton and sugar. Because British children also consumed sugar, some writers created poems and stories to encourage them to give up this foodstuff.

First page from Amelia Opie's poem, 'The Black Man's Lament; or, How to Make Sugar' (1826).

Amelia Opie's poem, 'The Black Man's Lament; or, How to Make Sugar' (1826) opens by asking child readers to help end slavery. Opie, a white woman, was a Quaker. Quakers believed that no person should be enslaved by another.

Have you ever participated in a boycott or protest?

Another white British writer, Anna Laetitia Barbauld, believed children should be taught to reason, or argue, about slavery rather than just pity enslaved people. She wrote a dialogue between a 'Master and Slave' for children ( Evenings at Home, 1792-96), where the enslaved man explains to a slave owner why all people should be free.

Do you try to win arguments using logical reasoning or emotion?

Both Amelia Opie and Anna Laetitia Barbauld wrote on behalf of Black people, imagining what they might say. Most Black writers in Britain at the time, like Olaudah Equiano, wrote for adults instead of children. White writers arguing for the freedom of Black enslaved people also used racial stereotypes.

Minstrels and tricksters

In the late 19th century, Black British people sometimes worked as entertainers, called minstrels, in seaside towns, playing music and singing comic songs for audiences of mostly white adults and children. Some minstrel shows featured white people using 'blackface', a form of make-up and dress to represent an offensive caricature of a Black person. Walter Crane, one of the most important illustrators of the time, depicts one of Old King Cole's fiddlers as a minstrel in typical costume in his Alphabet of Old Friends (1884).

'Alphabet of old friends', c. 1884. Image credit: State Library of South Australia - OS/19 CRA b

Both Helen Bannerman's Little Black Sambo (1901) and the golliwog character in Florence Upton's The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg (1895) were drawn with caricatured, or exaggerated, features and wore clothing similar to the seaside minstrel. Like the minstrel, these characters had comic roles. Both became symbols of racism in the 20th century because they were used to make fun of Black people and were built around damaging stereotypes.

However, it is possible to tell humorous stories without treating Black people as the object of laughter. By copying down stories from Black Jamaican storytellers, Walter Jekyll's Jamaican Song and Story (1907) introduced British readers to the trickster figure Anansi, whose humorous adventures have entertained British children ever since.

Did you know that Walter Jekyll was the tutor for Jamaican poet Claude McKay, who went on to become part of the Harlem Renaissance, a group of Black artists, writers and composers based in the Harlem area of New York City in the 1920s?

Trish Cooke, born in Bradford, and Louise Bennett and James Berry, both born in Jamaica, have all retold Anansi stories for British child readers and listeners from their own family traditions ( How Anansi Got His Stories by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Anna Violet, 2014; Anancy and Miss Lou by Louise Bennett, 1979; Anancy-Spiderman by James Berry, illustrated by Joseph Olubo, 1988).

What stories do your family tell?

The winds of change: new stories about being Black and British

Following World War Two, many people who had lived in Britain's colonies, including people from the Caribbean, India and Africa, came to Britain to find work and a good education for their children. These new communities realised that books for children often ignored people of colour or failed to represent them in a positive way. Many started writing books for children to make the changes they wanted to see. Writers like Petronella Breinburg, Andrew Salkey and Beryl Gilroy produced stories about growing up Black and British.

Did you know that the first Black illustrator to be nominated for a Kate Greenaway medal was Errol Lloyd in 1973, for his pictures in Petronella Breinburg's My Brother Sean?

These writers and artists are part of what is called the Windrush Generation, migrants from the Caribbean who came to Britain after 1948, mainly on ships such as the Empire Windrush. Their books are important because they are some of the first to show Black children as central to the narrative in a positive and inclusive way.

What parts of the world feature in your family tree?

Reflecting realities: Publishers creating inclusive books

Over 30 years ago, in 1987, author and publisher Verna Wilkins founded Tamarind Books. She was concerned that so few children's books included Black and minority ethnic characters, and about the effect that this had on children. Her independent publishing house focused on challenging this imbalance, producing quality inclusive literature that featured Black, Asian and minority ethnic children and children with disabilities. (Tamarind Books later became an imprint of Random House Children's Books and in 2016 Wilkins came out of retirement to found Firetree Books.) Her books range from stories that show children enjoying everyday experiences through to biographies of iconic and important Black public figures. Her moving and sensitive biography of the late Stephen Lawrence ( The Life of Stephen Lawrence, 2001) celebrates the life of this young man, while also shedding light on the injustice and tragic circumstances that led to his death.

Whose life story would you be interested in reading about?

In the spirit of Verna Wilkins' work, and with ongoing concerns about under-representation, several independent publishers have emerged in the UK. They are rising to the challenge to create inclusive books that show a range of stories, characters and experiences. These include (but are not limited to) Alanna Max, Child's Play, Knights Of, Lantana and Tiny Owl.

Everyday lives, family and belonging

Anna McQuinn worked as an editor for Verna Wilkins before founding Alanna books (now Alanna Max, a new partnership with Ken Wilson-Max). Both her Lulu and Zeki picture book series' illustrate the everyday lives of young Black characters of baby or toddler age. They take trips to the library, doctor and swimming pool. Alanna Max is driven by the desire to produce inclusive literature that centres Black characters, making it a normal and mainstream experience for all readers. As Anna McQuinn puts it, her books and characters 'show the world as it really is'.

In Zeki Can Swim (2017), Zeki drives the narrative and takes the reader along for a trip to the local swimming pool. The illustrations capture special, joyful moments between parents and their children, as well as the playful energy of Zeki's friends in the pool. Like his sister Lulu, Zeki's everyday exploits are tremendously important because they provide a platform for both Zeki and Lulu - and their readers - to explore life as babies and toddlers.

What story would you like to write?

Family and belonging is at the centre of the picture book So Much (1994), written by Trish Cooke and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. So Much is a playful and joyous celebration of families coming together, a showcase for the powerful bonds of family relationships and community. Every page exudes warmth, love and heart. First published in the '90s, the book has since gone on to become a contemporary classic.

So Much by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Usage terms Text © 1994 Trish Cooke
Illustrations © 1994 Helen Oxenbury
From SO MUCH by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ
www.walker.co.uk

Who are the special people in your life that you would include in your own book?

Books also offer a space to dream, go on adventures or imagine worlds beyond our own. Nathan Bryon's and Dapo Adeola's debut picture book Look Up (2019) invites the reader to do just that. This thoughtfully and beautifully illustrated story is told from the perspective of a science-loving young girl named Rocket, who dreams about being an astronaut. Inspired by role model Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, Rocket serves as a role model in her own right by being central to the narrative, enjoying life and chasing her astrological dreams.

Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola: digital artworks

Usage terms Illustrations © Dapo Adeola 2019. Look Up! is co-created by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola. Except as otherwise permitted by your national copyright laws this material may not be copied or distributed further.

Children's books are powerful: they shape how we see ourselves and others around us, as well as how we relate to the wider world. They can be a vehicle to tell stories about the range of British communities that exist today, and in the past. The books we've shown you today are just a small part of one of those many stories.

Whose stories do we still need to tell?

For adults: Find out more

To read more about representation and inclusive children's books, explore the list below.

Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Corebooks Online < https://clpe.org.uk/corebooks>

Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Book Lists < https://clpe.org.uk/library/booklists>

Chetty, Darren, 'The Elephant in the Room: Picturebooks, Philosophy for Children, and Racism', Childhood and Philosophy, 10.19 (January-June 2014), pp. 11-31

'You can't do that! Stories have to be about White people!', Media Diversified (2013) < https://mediadiversified.org/2013/12/07/you-cant-do-that-stories-have-to-be-about-white-people/>

Chetty, Darren and Karen Sands-O'Connor, 'Beyond the Secret Garden'. Regular column on children's books and diversity for Books for Keeps, beginning January 2018 < http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/>

'Why Diversity Should Start at Story Time', Times Educational Supplement (30 September 2016), pp. 36-38

Ramdarshan Bold, Melanie, Inclusive Young Adult Fiction: Authors of Colour in the United Kingdom (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019)

Ramdarshan Bold, Melanie, BookTrust Representation of people of colour among children's book authors and illustrators (2019) < https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/represents/booktrust-represents-diversity-childrens-authors-illustrators-report.pdf>

Sands-O'Connor, Karen, Children's Publishing and Black Britain (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017)

'50 Books to Diversify Your Classroom Reading List', Times Educational Supplement website < http://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/50books-to-diversify-your-class-reading-list-11397499>

Soon Come Home to this Island: West Indians in British Children's Literature (Routledge, 2008)

Serroukh, Farrah, Reflecting Realities: Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children's Literature (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, 2018 and 2019) < https://clpe.org.uk/library-and-resources/research/reflecting-realities-survey-ethnic-representation-within-uk-children>

Banner image: © Estate of Petronella Breinburg. Illustrations © Errol Lloyd. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. Please credit the copyright holder when reusing this work.

Written byFarrah Serroukh

Farrah Serroukh is a Learning Programme Leader at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE - www.clpe.org.uk). Throughout her career, Farrah has always been committed to centering marginalised voices and keenly advocated for inclusive practices both within and outside of the education sector. Before joining the CLPE, she taught across the primary school age range and held several leadership posts. As well as sharing responsibility for leading on the design, development and delivery of the charity's professional development programme, she co-leads on the research and development strand of the CLPE's work. She is the author of CLPE's Reflecting Realities Survey and leads the ground breaking and award winning work in this area.

Karen Sands-O'Connor is the British Academy Global Professor of children's literature at Newcastle University. She has published seminal histories of Black British children's literature, notably Soon Come Home to this Island: West Indians in British Children's Literature and Children's Publishing and Black Britain. Her work highlights the links between empire and children's book publishing, and explores issues of voice and agency in literature by, for and about Black Britons. She is currently investigating the role of radical activists in publishing for a Black British child audience.

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Go deeper: Reflecting on Black presence in children's books | The British Library

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The characters that we meet in books shape the way that we see ourselves and our community around us. Take a look at the history of the representation of Black British communities in children's books, from early abolition literature to modern story books such as Anancy-Spiderman by James Berry, Sean's Red Bike by Petronella Breinburg and Errol Lloyd, Zeki Can Swim!

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5 Black Heroes of the Abolition Movement in Britain

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5 Black Heroes of the Abolition Movement in Britain

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The Teacherist blog - Being Black in England

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The Teacherist blog - Being Black in England

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COLLATED STATISTICAL RESEARCH INTO ANTI-BLACK RACISM IN ENGLAND.

This document is Shereen Docherty.

The rest can be found here.
BEING BLACK IN ENGLAND: COLLATED STATISTICAL RESEARCH INTO ANTI-BLACK RACISM IN ENGLAND
****I would like this to spread as far and wide as possible, if sharing please credit me @ShereenDoc for my time and please include the disclaimers (I am not an expert).****
BEING BLACK IN ENGLAND: COLLATED STATISTICAL RESEARCH INTO ANTI-BLACK RACISM IN ENGLAND
Researched and collated by Shereen Docherty @ShereenDoc in response to the death of George Flloyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matters protests in Britain - and the public response of many that: "Britain's not racist": "Britain isn't as racist as America"; "I'm not racist".

What started as an idea for a simple instagram post, has become an essay. It turns out that systemic racism isn't neat and easily contained to a single post; it's a sprawling mass of interconnected forces that are very easy to ignore if they don't exert much/any pressure on you... but bear down an impossible weight that *permeates every interaction, in every sphere of life* , if you're not White in the UK. Of course, this affects all 'other' ethnicities in similar, but different ways.

However, the focus of this research is specific to anti-Black racism, because it is unique; because #BlackLivesMatter; and because non-Black PoC (like myself) can be just as guilty of anti-Black racism as White ppl - as we are all a product of the same racist system.
It takes active unlearning to change. @ShereenDoc "I'M NOT RACIST"
... but are you anti-racist?

Let's find out.

What do you make of the below statements:

White, non-Black people of colour and light-skinned people to varying degrees all benefit from White privilege

Can you put a number on the percentage to which you agree overall with the above?

Fix a number in your mind, even if it is 0.
Now let's take a deeper dive, and revisit that number afterwards.
Some disclaimers:

Endeavoured to focus on Black people and not 'BAME' wherever possible, where not possible BAME statistics have been included.

If research predates 2016, a date is included.

As a general rule gov.uk and ONS data is as uptodate as possible (2018/19)

Where using comparative statistics the comparison is always their white counterpart unless otherwise stated.

Gov statistics pertain to England & Wales, hence focus.

'Justice' statistics refer specifically to Black MEN unless otherwise stated

Education statistics refer specifically to Black PUPILS unless stated

Statistics in all other areas refer to Black people overall unless otherwise stated.

I've had to interpret data in some cases, I'm not a statistician or mathematician. I've done my best. All mistakes are my own.

This research is by no means exhaustive.

'JUSTICE'

7 in 10 stories about Black boys in the media are crime-related vs. 4 in 10 overall (REACH, 11)

5x more likely to be subjected to the use of force by Police (INQUEST)

2x as many deaths in custody where force/restraint used (IRR)

Black people are only 3% of the population, but

12% of the prison population (Lammy Review).

8% of deaths in police custody (BBC News)

52% of all deaths in 'suspicious circumstances' in custody 1991-2014 (IRR)

EDUCATION "The British Empire has often been glamourised and the global impact of Britain's colonialism downplayed... whilst Black history and contributions have been whitewashed from the curriculum". (Angharad Owen, BBC News) "Black history is usually either omitted entirely, or taught only in terms of colonialism and slavery, rather than black people's achievements." (Lavinya Stennett, Telegraph) "Institutionally racist practices are present in schools throughout the UK" (Show Racism The Red Card, 2010)

More likely to be under assessed by their teachers vs. external SATS grades;
26% Science (Burgess & Greaves / The Teacherist)

Most likely to get their A-Level grades under-predicted, affecting university admission (BIS, gov.uk 2011)

Even in private schools, research highlights "the continued experiences of low expectations of teachers and the extra labour required of the Black middle classes to get taken seriously" (IoE, 13)

20 % points less likely to achieve 5x A*-C grades (The Red Card, 04)

1% of children's books have a BAME main character (Guardian)

23% rise in race hate crimes against children in 3 years (NSPCC).

8% of UK university intake, but only
1.3% Oxford uni (BBC, 2016)

Affirmative action changed this: 2018/19 Intake at Cambridge risen to 3.6% thanks in part to Stormzy scholarships and promotion, and 2.6% at Oxford, "without any reduction in offer levels"

22 percentage points less likely to achieve a 2:1 or 1st class degree (ONS)

The university 'attainment gap' exists if adjusted for wealth & grades (Guardian)

UK Universities recorded just 560 complaints of racial harassment, despite 60,000 student complaints (EHRC).

1.5x more likely to drop out of uni, most cite racism (Guardian)

"UK medical schools failing to deal with racism" (BMJ)

1.2% of 20,000 funded PHD places awarded to Black students (Leading Routes)

A secret eugenics conference was held on the UCL campus in 2017!

EMPLOYMENT

Failure to fulfil the potential of the BAME workforce costs the British economy £24 billion/year, or 1.3% of GDP (McGregor-Smith Review)

Black people make up 3% of the population, but
0.2% of journalists (Reuters)

<1% of University professors (HESA)

1% of police officers (gov.uk)

1% of court judges (gov.uk)

1.1% of secondary Headteachers = 39 / 3000 schools (TES)

2.3% of all teachers, 1.6% of Deputies, 2% of Heads (gov.uk)

6% of NHS workforce (gov.uk)

BAME - 14% pop / 21% NHS staff / 7% of NHS Trusts' Boards (gov)

8% of TV's creatives BAME with Black People the least represented (Campaign)

Ethnic sounding names 74% less success job hunting (BBC, 2015)

60% more job applications required to get a positive response if BAME. Unchanged in 50 years. (Guardian)

3x less interviews for 'Mohammed' vs. 'Adam' with identical CV (BBC).

8% Black journalist grads find a job in press vs. 26% (NCTJ)

33% less likely to find work as a BAME medical graduate (Times)

66% employment compared to 87% White British (gov.uk)

48% more likely to be on zero-hour contracts.

Only about 3% of large employers have so far voluntarily reported their ethnic pay gap (median pay):
ITN - BAME employees paid 21% less per hour (Guardian)

Met Police - BAME 17% less (Sadiq Khan pay audit)

TFL - BAME 10% less (Sadiq Khan pay audit)

26% less pay for Black academics at Russell Group unis (BBC News)

16% less pay for Black female doctors (NHS / @amelia)

HEALTHCARE "People from minority ethnic groups experience poor treatment due to the negative attitudes of others regarding their character or abilities" (Race Equality Foundation, 2007) There is gender and racial bias in pain assessment and treatment (Guardian/BBC/NCBI) "There is a belief that Black women feel less pain" (Make Motherhood Diverse) Incredibly we still do not record ethnicity on death certificates so it is impossible to know the full extent of health inequality in Britain.

4x more likely to die of Covid 19 as a Black man

3x more likely to die of Covid 19 as a Black woman

21% NHS staff BAME, but 63% of all NHS Covid19 deaths (HSJ)

50% of BAME NHS staff said: "systemic discrimination" put us more at risk (ITV)

HOUSING

6x more likely to live in overcrowded households (gov.uk)

Black households more likely to be poor and most likely to be in persistent poverty (IRR)

20% of children living in persistent poverty vs. 10% (Disparity Audit)

Most likely to live in deprived neighbourhoods (Disparity Audit)

14% of homeless households, but only 3% of population (gov.uk)

Gov's flagship Right to Rent scheme ruled to be "causing racial discrimination" by High Court in 2017. It is still in place (Guardian)

10 LND letting agents caught in sting agreeing not to let a property to Black people at (undercover) landlord's request (BBC, 2013)

In 2017, Fergus Wilson, owner of 1,000 buy to let properties instructed landlords not to let to 'coloured people' because of the 'curry smell' (BBC)

In 2020 Grenfell Tower survivors were still waiting to be permanently rehomed, 2.5 years later, despite Theresa May's promise to rehome them in 'three weeks' (Guardian)
BRITAIN'S COLONIAL PAST
A TINY SNAPSHOT
"As long as you send all children out into the world to be actively educated into racism, taught a white supremacist version of history, literature and art, then you are setting up a future generation to perpetuate the same violence on which that system of power depends."
- Afua Hirsch

Did you know...

Black History is British History.

The UK only abolished slavery in 1833 by agreeing to pay slave owners a sum of £20m (£300bn today) for "loss of property".

A transferral of wealth from taxpayers to slave owners so huge the debts incurred were only paid off in 2015.

Meaning almost all UK taxpayers have contributed to this bill (@MandoParty / UCL Legacies of British Slave Ownership)

The slaves were never paid reparations.

For 300 years, every British monarch gave direct or indirect support to the transatlantic slave trade until it was abolished in 1833.

Of the 12 million slaves abducted from Africa, 40% were transported on British ships.

We are told slavery was outlawed on humanitarian grounds in a campaign fought by abolitionists. In reality, an overproduction of sugar crops led to reduced profits. (@MandoParty)

In 1944, Eric Williams, the first PM of Trinidad and Tobago, described the idea that slavery was abolished because of an appeal to humanitarian principles as "one of the greatest propaganda movements of all time". It endures to this day. (New Statesman)

If we were all taught about colonial history in school, we'd learn at a young age that many of the people who came here from colonies and former colonies did so as citizens, not as immigrants (Guardian)

"An understanding of colonial history would allow us to shift the boundary of 'British citizen' to include people from (former) colonies" (Maya Goodfellow, Guardian)

Truly learning about empire would mean understanding that colonialists created race and the racial hierarchy to control and govern colonies around the world. Unpicking how and why race was constructed would make for a more sophisticated discussion about racism and what it means to be 'British'. (Goodfellow, Guardian)

The Windrush generation arrived in the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948-73 on invitation from the Queen, taking up jobs in the nascent NHS and helping to rebuild Britain after WWII.

As residents of the British commonwealth, they were automatically British subjects and free to permanently live and work in the UK.

That is until Theresa May's 'hostile immigration' policy intentionally sought to drive out those without the correct papers, knowing full well that many of the Windrush generation arrived as children on their parents' passports, AND that the Home Office had destroyed thousands of landing cards and other records - meaning many lacked the documentation to prove their right to remain in the UK.

The Home Office demanded at least one official document from every year they had lived here.

Falsely deemed as 'illegal immigrants' / 'undocumented migrants' they began to lose their access to housing, healthcare, bank accounts and driving licenses. Many were placed in immigration detention, prevented from travelling abroad and threatened with forcible removal, while others were deported to countries they hadn't seen since they were children. (JCWI)

A leaked draft of the independent review into the Windrush scandal found the Home Office "reckless" and discriminatory. It recommended that all staff should "learn about the history of the UK and its relationship with the rest of the world, including Britain's colonial history" (Channel 4)
MICROAGGRESSIONS A microaggression is a comment or gesture (whether made intentionally or not) that feeds into stereotypes or negative assumptions created around marginalized groups of people. They may be totally harmless in intent, but to the recipient - facing them day in day out - they can very much feel like an attack. They serve as constant reminders of one's 'otherness' and 'difference', reinforcing the notion that they are not an individual to be judged on their merits, but nothing more than a 'stereotype'.

Expectation that you will want to lead internal diversity projects

Expectation that you'll be a role-model / spokesperson for your race

Subjected to DARVO - Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender
An academically studied tactic of psychological manipulation.

This is from a recent post by @Rachel.Cargle highlighting DARVO in a White response to being called out for racism:

Deny: "we can't be perfect immediately"

Attack: "you used my post of hope in a negative way"

Reverse Victim/Oppressors: "I'm heartbroken", "I'm crying now" and "I was begging for encouragement"

CONCLUSION
We started by discussing these three statements:

Earlier you % in mind to which you agreed.

Has it changed? Are you able to agree any more?

If so you've just demonstrated "doing the work" ...

As Pran Patel, at The Teacherist explains:

"Like most binary labels the 'racist bad - non-racist good' binary is really unhelpful. We would all be better served looking at racism as a spectrum between racist and anti-racist."

"You've just done such work. The (racist to anti-racist) spectrum is a dynamic scale where people will move regularly. Remember that the natural tendency is to fall towards the racist end of the spectrum; to move the other way takes work."
Now, imagine how much the percentage to which you agree might change if you read a best-selling book on this very topic, written by an expert Black voice.

If you've made it this far, please buy and read one of the following and see how the % changes.

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People - Reni Eddo-Lodge
So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo

There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack - Paul Gilroy

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Race - Robin DiAngelo

White people and non-Black people of colour need to be actively working to dismantle the systems of privilege from which we benefit. That means things that will make us uncomfortable like positive discrimination in education and employment; but what may feel like putting *ourselves* at a 'disadvantage' is actually just going a small way towards levelling a systematically unfair playing field.
We all need to continually strive to move further along the scale away from the natural tendency to racism. #BlackLivesMatter
I have compiled this very rudimentary research with the intention of helping to demonstrate just how unfair this playing field really is, but it is so much more better explained and explored by Black People in their own voices in the many excellent books on the subject.

Please buy (from a Black-owned business) and read one of the above books. Keep 'doing the work' and translate that new knowledge into affirmative action in your home/workplace/neighbourhood/schools.

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BEING BLACK IN ENGLAND. - The Teacherist

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This is amazing document is from Shereen Docherty. She has collated numerous statistical research into anti-black racism. @chrisdysonHT @RaeSnape @DiLeed @Ethical_Leader @EquitableEd @rrunsworth @JulesDaulby @workingclassldr @rapclassroom @Muna_Abdi_Phd @shereendoc

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EXPLAINING WHITE PRIVILEGE TO ABROKE WHITE PERSON

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EXPLAINING WHITE PRIVILEGE TO ABROKE WHITE PERSON

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"How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion": Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools

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Recognizing Privilege: Power to All People

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Recognizing Privilege: Power to All People

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Michael Yates: Recognizing Privilege: Power to All People

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Everyone will walk away from this talk knowing something about privilege! Often times the thing that separates us from other people is the way we are viewing ourselves. What if we could all come together by viewing ourselves in a different way? Mike tells us how to come together in power!

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

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The discourse of denial: how white teacher candidates construct race, racism and ‘white privilege’

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The discourse of denial: how white teacher candidates construct race, racism and ‘white privilege’

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Institutional Discrimination in the Early Years by Jane Lane

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Institutional Discrimination in the Early Years by Jane Lane

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This is an article was first published in the TCJ in 2010, and is part of our 'Through back to the TCJ' series

The principles of institutional discrimination apply to all inequalities covered by present legislation, whether based on sex / gender, ethnicity / 'race' / culture / language, religion / belief, age, sexual orientation and/or ability / disability.

They could also apply to other inequalities not covered by current legislation, for example, social class. Institutional discrimination is so bound up with policies, procedures and practices that it is usually difficult to untangle its various facets. Both those affected and those not affected by it may be unaware of how it operates, even if they may identify its various manifestations. But a key element in analysing and dismantling it is to recognise and acknowledge the differential power and influence between those affected by it and those, however unconsciously, perpetuating it. It is only with such recognition and acknowledgment that it is possible to understand and accept how it disadvantages those who are not in positions of power and just how difficult it is for them to speak out and challenge it. If we are concerned about inequality we ignore this reality at our peril. This paper focuses specifically on institutional racism as one facet of institutional discrimination.

It can, however, be adapted to illustrate institutional discrimination on other grounds.* What is racism? Before considering the details of institutional racism, it is important to understand what racism itself is. It may be perceived as being mainly overt racist violence, abuse, discrimination and aggression. But racism also includes other less overt aspects such as stereotyping, holding prejudiced attitudes, making assumptions and negative judgements. It may sometimes be just not noticing what is happening around ourselves (and maybe choosing to ignore it) or not being sufficiently alert to issues of equality and the consequent implications for everyone. Sometimes neither perpetrators nor wronged people will be aware of the racism that is taking place**. Racism is deeply embedded in British society.

While the overt aspects seldom occur in the early years and are mostly recognised as unacceptable, the less obvious forms may not be noticed or may occur, but be interpreted as not really being a part of racism. So the reality of racism that may affect the lives of children and their families from all ethnic groups may be denied and not taken seriously because it is not seen as such. Furthermore, even where its effects on the lives of black children and their families are perceived, its damaging (though different) consequences for white children may not be acknowledged - damages that include distorting their notions of reality (see 'The effects of racism on children' in Lane (2008), page 90, below).

To add to this reality the daily media in general tend to reinforce negative comments on already sensitive concerns such as 'political correctness', immigrants, asylum seekers, inequalities and people who believe it is important to talk about racial equality with children. They seldom take time to consider seriously the damaging influence of racism on young children. This drip-drip stereotyping is then perpetually reinforced in casual everyday talk and embeds itself in the mindset of those who are receptive to such prejudice. For all sorts of reasons many white people (like me) are fearful of being called racist or of being accused of racism. Opportunities are needed to think calmly and in non-threatening ways about what racism is and why it occurs.

It is usually unhelpful to apportion blame to people or to wag fingers at them for being racist, despite the frustration this may engender in black people who live with it all their lives. Blame may lead to stubborn defiance, resistance to future participation in discussions and resentment, feelings that do not encourage reflection, acceptance of racism's awful reality and a commitment to do something about it. The power of racism in Britain lies largely with white people. Black people, although they may be racially prejudiced, rarely have this power. It is important that the existence of racism in all its forms is acknowledged and accepted before institutional racism can be understood and countered.*** A fundamental part of this acceptance is listening to, and being open and receptive to, what black and other minority ethnic people say about it.

Institutional Racism

It is because of the inevitable consequences of the history of racism in British society that many white people have more power, influence and opportunities to organise their lives in the way that they wish than black and other minority ethnic people.**** This results in some people from black and other minority ethnic groups not getting equal chances, not being treated fairly. Furthermore, traditional ways of doing things may disguise any unfairness; habits of a lifetime that may superficially sound fair are often difficult to break down - for example, 'first come first served' procedures where some people are more familiar with the traditional ways of operating than others.

In the early years any unfairness is seldom intentional but the key point is that many people do not notice it is happening. It does not cross their radar. In some instances there may be a reluctance to consider changes, so practices become just part of the 'system', of how things are done, with little thought being given to other ways of doing things in an evolving society. But behind all this, and fundamental to it, is the fact that many majority white people are not alert to what is going on and may deny that racism is happening.

Unless they make a conscious effort to be aware of this reality, the discriminatory policies, procedures and practices may remain hidden and continue to be denied. This is how institutional racism operates and is perpetuated. Similarly, some black people may deny that they experience racism. Because it is so hidden they, in the same way as white people, may not be aware of it and its influence on their lives. For example, a black person may not know that they have not been short-listed for a job because of their name - clear discrimination. They may be unaware of the subtle and possibly unconscious actions that are taken to disadvantage and discriminate against them.

Such actions may be so much a part of their everyday experiences that they have been obliged to accept them or perhaps no longer even notice them. Or they notice but, in the particular circumstances, feel powerless to do anything about them. Black people, like white people, may also be unaware of the subtle ways of job promotion that may encourage and support white people to leadership roles. Institutional racism engulfs black people as well as white people, though in different ways. However, it is important to recognise that not all white people have equal power and influence.

Those holding power and influence in corporate, media, government and other state institutions are in positions to maintain and exert their privilege at the expense of those without such power and influence. Furthermore, in our celebrity and media dominated society certain people and organisations have a significantly disproportionate and potentially dangerous influence on inflaming public opinion against those they choose to pillory. In their turn, those without such national power and influence, but with significant education and life skills, are more powerful and influential than those with limited education and life opportunities. This is the hierarchy of the social class / power / influence system - a system that operates in both black and white communities. In such situations racism and classism may intersect in complex and often hidden ways.

How is Institutional Racism Defined?

Institutional racism can be basically defined as: Organisational structures, policies, processes and practices that result in some people being treated unfairly and less equally than others, often without intention or knowledge because of their ethnicity, skin colour, culture, religion, nationality or language. Although, in principle, institutional racism can occur anywhere, in Britain it is the organisational power of, usually, white people, combined with often unconscious prejudice, that results in detrimental, unfair and differential treatment and biased decision-making. The effects would be the same (that is, institutionally racist) if the power lay in the hands of black people. There is nothing specific about white people and racism / institutional racism - it is just the different historical and socio-economic implications that determine who is powerful.

It is critical that whoever has the power gives consideration to the potential for negative outcomes and takes appropriate action to avert those that are the result of discrimination. The report of the Inquiry into the murder of the black student, Stephen Lawrence (the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry), defined institutional racism 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 disadvantage minority ethnic people. (Macpherson 1999)

It is a very important definition because it takes away the concept that racism is always intentional, deliberate and personal. It also identifies some aspects that are almost certainly outside the control of each of us as individuals within an institution, whether we are black or white - although, as black or white individuals or groups, we can challenge them. The definition partly focuses on those policies, practices and procedures that may have been in place for many years and were never deliberately intended to discriminate but have the effect of discriminating. But it also identifies a lack of attention by institutions to its consequences for those people affected by it and a lack of evaluation of the policies, processes, procedures and structures which have led to adverse outcomes.

Key terms for early years workers in the definition are 'unwitting prejudice ' and 'thoughtlessness', terms that should remove any concepts of personal blame but, in considering them, identify a responsibility to be alert to their damaging and potentially discriminatory effects. The term 'institution' here covers most national organisations and all local authorities and early years settings. Institutional racism has some similarities with the concept of indirect racial discrimination referred to in the Race Relations Act 1976 but has a wider application not limited by the Act's strict legal aspects. As a result of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, the Race Relations Act 1976 was amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 to place a statutory duty on all public authorities to ensure that racial equality issues were placed firmly in all their policies, practices and procedures.

An Example of Institutional Racism

A rather bizarre but clear example of institutional racism is of a hospital in a multi-ethnic town that offered a white foot, or the option of paying a considerable sum specially for a black foot, to a black woman requiring a prosthetic foot. The offer was not intentionally discriminatory or deliberately offensive on the part of the person offering it but reflected a lack of thought, sensitivity and preparation for the potential needs of a multiethnic community by the hospital, the institution.

There is another dimension to consider: if the situation had been reversed and the woman seeking a prosthetic foot had been white, would she ever have even been offered a black foot or given the option of paying for a white one? Another particularly personal and intimate example cites a black woman requesting a prosthetic breast after a mastectomy and being offered a white one, an experience which was very emotionally upsetting. The first example shows how, unwittingly, an inappropriate foot was offered.

Thinking carefully about whether a black foot would ever have been offered to a white person brings the unlikelihood of such a situation to the fore. The security of being white in most situations contrasts with the possible expectations of black people of being faced with different standards because of their different skin colours. While the use of limited funding might have meant that only white prosthetic feet were bought, the thoughtlessness that allowed a white foot to be offered reveals the lack of attention given to the issue. An alternative buying practice would have ensured that people from black and white communities were offered an appropriate service.

Thoughts about Institutional Racism

How many of us notice and roughly count the number of black and other minority ethnic people attending early years events - for example, national or local early years conferences or government updates on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) - particularly those that do not have a primary focus on racial equality or wider equality issues? Or members of national / local government advisory / support / policy groups? Or groups undertaking research into the early years? Or on early childhood studies / Early Years Professional (EYP) / leaders courses? Or celebratory events of national organisations? And how many of us do something about it? Yet the conferences of the Black Voices Network are over-subscribed.

How many of us notice that it is relatively rarely that black people are working in authority positions? And questioning may elicit the reply that "They do not apply", "We can't find any, we've tried" or "They must be competent for the job", somehow implying, but not saying, that none are. How many black speakers, workshop facilitators or chairs of conferences / meetings are there?

What Might be Done to Recognise and Identify Institutional Racism?

Understanding racism makes it easier to consider the possibility of institutional racism. It is important :

· to collect, analyse and evaluate ethnic data (monitor) on all processes where decisions are made (including employment, admissions, promotions);

· to be alert to, observe, and possibly record, the ethnic composition of practices that involve children's activities (including in play, in any specific allocations, access to resources);

· to be very clear that any apparent unfairness, disproportionality or under-representation may not be the result of racial discrimination but that every situation or set of circumstances should be investigated with an open mind and sensitive, informed awareness;

· to be aware that, while being sensitive to friendship patterns between children as well as a recognition that familiarity often provides comfort and support for them, some ethnic groupings may derive from unfamiliarity and, possibly, from prejudice - barriers that may be removed by sensitive, supportive and caring encouragement between children;

· not to approach institutional racism in a punitive fashion, not to seek to find individual fault or blame people generally or individuals in particular;

· to recognise that greater receptivity happens when the reasons are understood;

· to be alert, at all times, to the way groups are devised, who makes decisions, who writes documents;

· to assess the ethnic composition in all circumstances and situations and, if people from black and other minority ethnic groups appear under-represented, to ask questions about how the membership in question was determined; and

· to ascertain the reasons / explanations for any under-representation.

Institutional Racism in the Early Years

Significant and pertinent terms, referred to above, used in the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report include 'unwitting' and 'thoughtlessness'. Very few people working with young children would deliberately discriminate against children because they are from a black or other minority ethnic group. Most would probably accept the reality and advantages of a multi-ethnic workforce, especially in urban areas. But institutional racism may occur because people have not had the opportunity or the concern to think about the issues involved. They may not have given themselves the time to do this. Perhaps they carry on doing what has always been done in the same way without considering its implications for living in a multi-ethnic society (in which racism is embedded) and the consequent changes that might be needed. Being alert to the possibility of institutional racism occurring is especially important if the research, policy or any other project has national implications.

It is also important if the particular area is largely white and is not seen as a part of the wider society. Institutional racism needs to be very carefully thought about. It is vital to have a real and deep understanding of what both racism and institutional racism are. They are not complicated once the principles are accepted. But without this understanding it is almost impossible to deal with them in ways that are constructive and sensitive and which resolve situations where they occur. Without this understanding, loose and ill-informed talk of either racism or institutional racism often entrenches attitudes and resolves nothing. Denying the existence of either racism or institutional racism without this understanding may only expose the reality of its presence.

Leaders in the early years field, in government departments, in services and in settings need to be willing to acknowledge publicly that institutional racism is a fact and that the long-term challenges that it represents need to be addressed. Without these challenges, a strong leadership and a commitment to root out systemic discriminatory practices, there is unlikely to be meaningful change. Political leadership at every level, with powerful consistent antiracist messages and responses to counter negativity, is key to making these changes happen.

There is also a responsibility to raise these issues in early years groups and teams as well is in training. All of us have some power. Every one of us has a role to play in eliminating racism from the world of all our children. Notes *This paper is partly adapted from my book Young children and racial justice - taking action for racial equality in the early years - understanding the past, thinking about the present, planning for the future. National Children's Bureau 2008 **The term 'wronged people' is used here in preference to 'victims' which may be seen as being people who are unable or unwilling to defend themselves. ***A discussion of racism and institutional racism is in the above book, and also in Bourne, J (2001) The life and times of institutional racism, in Race and Class, a special report on 'The three faces of British racism 43, 2, October-December. ****The phrase 'black and other minority ethnic' is sometimes shortened in this text to 'black'.

Appendix A : A Detailed Example of Institutional Racism in the Early Years

An early years setting that operates a waiting list and offers places on a first-come-first-served basis, with those at the top of the list having priority, may well be operating institutional racism. At first sight the waiting list seems as fair a method as any, but in practice families who are unfamiliar with the concept of waiting lists or the way early years services are organised, or do not yet live in the area, do not put their children's names down as early as others. This means that their children will be lower on the list and so will be less likely to gain a place than children from families who are familiar with the system and are already resident. People who are unfamiliar with the system are likely to include families:

· for whom English is not the first language,

· that have recently arrived in Britain or do not yet know about early years organisations - are not part of the 'system',

· that move about a lot,

· that have been placed in the area under the dispersal arrangements,

· have not yet arrived in the area.

The waiting list will disproportionately affect Travellers, Roma and Gypsies; refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants; South Asian and some other minority ethnic families; as well as majority or minority ethnic families moving to the area. Looked after children (that is, those for whom the local authority shares or has exclusive parental responsibility) and children in emergency accommodation, such as a refuge or hostel, can also be disadvantaged by the waiting list system. There may be no specific intention to give them less of a chance but that will be the effect. This does not mean that waiting lists should be dispensed with altogether, as they are useful sources of information about the people who wish to use the early years setting.

However, fair, clear and open ways of organising admissions should be implemented alongside waiting lists (of those children wishing to attend), and attempts should be made to contact families of all groups living in the community. Such admission arrangements should be part of the setting's policy for equality as required by legislation and/or government. A setting could consider holding back a small number of places to cater for transient families or late arrivals, especially where it is known that some communities may settle temporarily but regularly, for example where there is emergency accommodation used by the local authority nearby or a women's refuge.

Appendix B : Potential Examples

The early years service or setting (the institution) needs to be aware of the pitfalls - factors, actions or lack of actions - that could bring about a collective failure to address potential institutional racism and could, thereby, contribute to discriminatory outcomes. These actions or inactions include the following. Not examining all aspects of the local authority early years service, for example having an effective non-discriminatory selection procedure for potential employees but not considering whether the ethnic composition of those applying at all levels reflects that of the local community, and how this may be affected by the advertising strategy. Not considering post-employment practices, that is, whether other aspects may be discriminatory once people are employed, including access to training, attendance at conferences and promotion. Not being given, or having sufficient, time to reflect on these issues and to understand them (for example, in management or staff meetings, in training and in talking with families)

Not enabling people to raise issues of concern about racial equality, that is, not ensuring that regular opportunities are provided for people, including those with less authority than others, to raise such issues (within an ethos of trust and no-blame). Often the result of not facilitating this is that people fear reprisals if they do raise their concerns and this allows frustration and feelings of powerlessness to fester. Such situations may cause workers from black and other minority ethnic backgrounds to feel that they are not valued and that there is deliberate discrimination against them. Not examining all aspects of the workings of a setting, for example, not considering how the admissions procedures or recruitment of employees or volunteers might discriminate on racial grounds, even though there has been very careful thought given to the need for positive and anti-discriminatory curricular practice. Wondering, in passing, why no black people appear to apply for jobs, or not for particular jobs, but doing nothing to find out the reasons for this - or, worse still, not even noticing.

Thinking that collecting and monitoring ethnic data is irrelevant, either because it is seen as too bureaucratic, too difficult to implement or because the workforce is already multi-ethnic, without considering whether all ethnic groups are treated equally or, more commonly, collecting data but not using it to monitor outcomes. Not spotting whether racial discrimination applies, that is, when the general facts of racial discrimination are known, doing nothing about finding out if they are relevant within an institution, even when in a position to do so. Not noticing that it is mostly white people who make important decisions. Not realising that one does not know what one does not know and, instead, assuming that you already know 'enough' about issues of racial equality. Not offering a platform, that is, not understanding that it is crucial to encourage black communities to contribute to discussions from their own experiences and to listen to them and take them and their stories seriously. Applying 'fault' where none is due, that is, where research or other findings indicate inequality of outcome for different groups, assuming some apparent 'inadequacy' or 'failing' on the part of the particular minority ethnic groups or families, and not questioning whether there might be alternative explanations before coming to final conclusions.

The explanations might concern the methodology of analysis, negative stereotyping, inappropriately trained people carrying out all aspects of the research, including interviewers, or inappropriate procedures. Being proud of black people being appointed to jobs, but... not really noticing that they are at low grades and not doing anything about the fact, or noticing that they are not appointed at higher grades but thinking that racism is not possible because the director or leader is black. Not questioning a disproportionate impact of decisions and policies on particular racial groups of people.

Not thinking about the ethnic composition of participants when setting up an advisory or planning group, speakers at or invitees to a conference, or making a list of delegates, or just asking black people to speak (only) about 'diversity' issues. As a national conference organiser, being peripherally aware that everyone attending is white but not pursuing the possible reasons for this either at the time or subsequently. Using ethnocentric resources, that is, not considering whether a display, resource or journal presents an ethnocentric view of Britain. Not using positive images to reflect a multiethnic society in the resources used; and not discarding resources which give a negative or stereotypical image of people from black and other minority ethnic communities. Thinking it doesn't matter because everyone 'here' is white, that is, thinking there is not an issue about racism because everyone in the setting, or living locally, is white. Thinking that there is only one way to bring up children - 'our' way, the 'best' way.

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Institutional Discrimination in the Early Years by Jane Lane - The Therapeutic Care Journal

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This is an article was first published in the TCJ in 2010, and is part of our 'Through back to the TCJ' series The principles of institutional discrimination apply to all inequalities covered by present legislation, whether based on sex / gender, ethnicity / 'race' / culture / language, religion / belief, age, sexual orientation ...

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What is your first memory of racial difference? Mine is when I was 5 years old. My family had recently moved to Brighton from a small town in Surrey, and I was the only black child in my school. Some of the other children called me names (like 'poo face'). I cried a lot. I was very sensitive.

What is your first memory of racial difference? I ask this question when I run race awareness training course in companies I work with. The diversity of responses always fascinates me. I am amazed at how different people's experiences of 'race' are. It ranges from white people who went to multi-cultural schools. Who, are very racially aware and confident in the language they use and their knowledge of cultural difference. To white people, who didn't encounter racial difference until they interacted with people from different cultures in university or their first city-based jobs. To black Africans, who also didn't experience the concept of 'race' until they moved to the UK and were othered for the first time, no longer in a black majority.

What Is Race?

Literacy is defined as knowledge or skills in a specific area. The legal definition of race as defined by the Equality Act 2010 , can mean your colour or your nationality (including your citizenship). It can also mean your ethnic or national origins, which may not be the same as your current nationality. That sounds simple, but it's not really. Firstly, because all these things are not the same. Nationality is completely different to ethnic origin, and colour is completely different to citizenship. But somehow - ALL these things are 'race'.

If you imagine what happens when someone is racist. Probably some kind of verbal abuse comes to mind. And for someone to be racist, there has to be the notion of race.

This brings to light the second problem with this term of "race" - that is, that it doesn't really exist. The history of the concept that we have of race is based on a pseudo-science of racial difference with a very problematic history. Also, it has been proven that there is only the 'human race' in biological terms.

So how is it that we can talk with such passion and conviction about something that does not exist? Simply, because the impact of the creation of the concept of "race" (on geographical and historical grounds) does exist. Everyday racism, systemic racism and institutional racism are real. The concept of race was created as a societal construct, and today we live with the consequences of that.

What Does Racial Literacy Mean?

Unfortunately, our education system doesn't include a standard explanation to our young people of the history of the creation of the concept of race (or critical race theory). The implications being that we are all often fuddling through with concepts that we don't understand, with no knowledge of why race as we know it exists. And then we are expected to just get on with things. To tread sensitively around appropriate language, 'BAME', 'black', 'BME'; 'minorities' but not 'non-white'; 'person of colour' but not 'a coloured person'. And, one I quite like - 'the global majority'.

A recent Channel 4 documentary, The School That Tried To End Racism , gave some race theory experts (including Dr Nicola Rollock , an academic and consultant who specialises in racial justice in education and the workplace) the opportunity to use methods used in schools in the USA to make children in a UK school racially literate. One method being creating affinity groups, where all the white pupils and all the black and minority ethnic pupils went into different groups and discussed their ethnicity. The difference in the conversations between the groups was notable because this was the first time the white children had considered having a race.

Critical race theory is studied by academics across the world. And while there are some academics who have studied race extensively (often not recognised as part of the mainstream canon of academia), the really interesting studies that would push thoughts of race to a new and modern way of thinking, are the studies of whiteness. The most well-known is now Robin Diangelo's White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism, written by a white woman in the USA exploring a discussion that is often missing about what it means to be 'white'. Particularly thought-provoking for white people who often don't see themselves in racial terms.

What are the implications of not being taught racial literacy? As an adult, do you feel comfortable talking about race? Would you avoid saying 'black people' to a black person? Have you ever said 'I don't see colour' or 'I don't see race' in order to make a person of colour feel comfortable? Perhaps the reason for this is because you aren't racially literate. Perhaps you aren't aware that by saying 'I don't see race' you are inadvertently putting a negative value on that person's race by suggesting it's not important to you. It's patronising, ignorant and ill-informed. And if this is your position then it probably isn't your fault - because no-one taught you how to be racially literate. This idea of being colour-blind is explored by Renni Eddo-Lodge, in Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race (with accompanying podcast) and in Afua Hirsch's book, Brit(ish).

The Benefits Of Being Racially Literate

Imagine if your starting point was positive, that you saw a black person and your first thought was positive. Perhaps because you understood the history of the creation race linked to slavery, trade and colonialism. Perhaps you had some knowledge of the history of the continent of Africa, it's riches, culture and resources. Of the reason why there are black people in the Caribbean and the Americas and the role of western European countries in this racial geography. Of the rich intellectually advanced history of the African continent and their current blossoming economies.

View racial literacy the same way you view literacy of reading, writing and numeracy. People who lack these basic literacies do struggle in later life and in work. Sometimes it can be dangerous, for example, being unable to read warning signs. Without some racial literacy being taught to young people, they too are at a disadvantage in how they engage with people from different cultural backgrounds. Racial literacy is an essential skill for work and everyday life.

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Racial Literacy: What Does it Mean? - The Black Curriculum

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What is your first memory of racial difference? I ask this question when I run race awareness training course in companies I work with. The diversity of responses always fascinates me. I am amazed at how different people's experiences of 'race' are.

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https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/intersectionality-matters/id1441348908

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Podcast Series - Reni  Eddo-Lodge on Race

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Podcast Series - Reni  Eddo-Lodge on Race

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https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/about-race-with-reni-eddo-lodge/id1353151856

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https://www.facebook.com/908009612563863/posts/3055767894454680/

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How we can all stand up to racial injustice- contains useful ideas and resources 

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How we can all stand up to racial injustice- contains useful ideas and resources 

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https://mailchi.mp/7d6053a47b7c/how-we-can-all-stand-up-to-racial-injustice

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Reading list for White educators working with Black students

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Reading List for White educators working with Black students

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Book: 'Slay in Your Lane: the Black Girl Bible'

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Book: 'Slay in Your Lane: the Black Girl Bible'

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https://www.waterstones.com/book/slay-in-your-lane/yomi-adegoke/elizabeth-uviebinene/9780008306304

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Book: Emma Dabiri's 'Don't Touch My Hair'

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Book: Emma Dabiri's 'Don't Touch My Hair'

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Review of the book here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/23/dont-touch-my-hair-emma-dabiri-review

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Video: Dr Kehinde Andrews on the perpetuation of racism in the British education system (at Oxford Union debate 2017)

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Video: Dr Kehinde Andrews on the perpetuation of racism in the British education system (at Oxford Union debate 2017)

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The Motion: This House Believes British Education Perpetuates Racism

Dr Kehinde Andrews closes the case for the Proposition, as the fifth speaker of six in the debate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfFmRy7PrNs

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https://theconversation.com/why-cellphone-videos-of-black-peoples-deaths-should-be-considered-sacred-like-lynching-photographs-139252

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Want to understand why racism still exists
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Ri-sEQMg_1E

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Performative allyship
https://medium.com/@hello_82693/performative-allyship-is-deadly-c900645d9f1f

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Akala explaining how racism works as a business
https://www.equallyours.org.uk/akala-video-everyday-racism/

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Decolonising the Curriculum Project:Through the Kaleidoscope

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Decolonising the Curriculum Project:Through the Kaleidoscope

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Asking questions can create new ways of teaching and learning.

Shannon Morreira, University of Cape Town and Kathy Luckett, University of Cape Town

The curriculum is not just the "stuff" that students must learn to be knowledgeable and skilled in a particular discipline. It's about more than just content.

Sociologists of education argue that "curriculum" is a highly ideological hybrid discourse. This means that it includes implicit ways of knowing, ways of doing and ways of being - as well as content.

In South African universities, curriculum issues came to the fore during a series of nationwide student protests between 2015 and 2017. Students have argued that what's being taught in university courses is imported from the global North and doesn't draw enough on African-based research and the work of academics from the global South. Students have also argued that course materials don't take the backgrounds of most South African learners into account in terms of culture, language or method.

Research conducted among academics and students at a historically white South African university suggests that many are thinking about "decolonising the curriculum" from only one angle: changing the content of what they teach.

So, for example, they might add Africa-based authors to a reading list. But they don't shift the tasks required to engage with that literature, which still leaves many students feeling alienated and marginalised.

Our own work with academics in the humanities and social sciences in South Africa shows there's not much engagement around how different ways of teaching might bring decolonial practices into the classroom. Universities in other parts of Africa are far ahead when it comes to decolonisation. Both Makerere University in Uganda, and the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, for example, have oriented their curricula towards inclusion and social justice since the 1960s.

It's vital for academics in South Africa to start asking deep questions that examine what decolonisation might look like in their teaching, and how this can be achieved. We were part of a working group at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that generated a number of questions which could serve as points of departure for beginning to think about decolonising ways of teaching.

Bridging gaps

In our work from UCT's Humanities Education Development Unit, we work mostly on tutor training and on first year courses, in partnership with departments. Our research and development work suggests that there is uncertainty among many academics about how exactly to take up the decolonial challenge in their own classroom practices.

To help bridge this gap, we've come up with a series of questions to encourage academics across faculties to unearth some of the norms, assumptions and everyday practices that are taken for granted and which may be entangled in the "hidden curriculum". This might help us to think through the "how" as well as the "what", as a first practical step towards "decolonising" our teaching.

These questions are based on discussions held during 2017 in a working group called "Decolonising Pedagogy in the Humanities". The group was made up of course conveners, teaching assistants, tutors and student representatives.

The questions were split into two themes: curriculum and pedagogy (or ways of teaching). Many questions emerged. We've distilled them into just 10 sets, with some supplementary thoughts, that lecturers could start asking as they work towards decolonising pedagogy.

Crucial questions

What principles, norms, values and worldviews inform your selection of knowledge for your curriculum? (think about absences as well as presences, centres as well as margins)

Do you articulate your own social and intellectual position, from which you speak when lecturing?

For whom do you design your curriculum? Who is your ideal, imagined student and what assumptions do you make about their backgrounds, culture, languages and schooling?

Does your curriculum reflect its location in Africa and the global South? To what extent does it draw on subjugated histories, voices, cultures and languages?

How does your teaching recognise and affirm the agency of black and first-generation students? How does your teaching legitimate and respect their experiences and cultures?

Can you speak indigenous or regional languages and relate to the cultures and lived experiences of all students? Do you draw on these valuable resources in your teaching?

How does your curriculum level the playing fields by requiring traditional/ white students to acquire the intellectual and cultural resources to function effectively in a plural society?

How do you build a learning community in your classroom where students learn actively from each other and draw on their own knowledge sources?

How do your assumptions about curriculum knowledge play out in the criteria that you use to assess students? What can you do to make your assessment practices more fair and valid for all students, without inducing high levels of anxiety? What assessment methods could show what all students are capable of, drawing on their strengths and promoting their agency and creativity?

How far do your teaching and assessment methods allow students to feel included without assuming assimilation?

What to do with the answers

When we ask questions such as these, we can begin to unearth some of our hidden practices. These practices can make students feel distanced or excluded from our disciplines and classroom interaction. Asking these questions also allows academics to become active learners within their own classroom, while creating more hospitable environments for learning.

Crucially, this allows students and staff to engage better with course content and with one another.

Shannon Morreira, Senior Lecturer, University of Cape Town and Kathy Luckett, Associate Professor, University of Cape Town

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

African woman, lawyer, teacher, poet and researcher. Singer of songs, writer of words, very occasional dancer of dances. I seek new ways of interpreting the African experience within our consciousness to challenge static ideology.

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Questions academics can ask to decolonise their classrooms by Luckett & Morreira

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Shannon Morreira, University of Cape Town and Kathy Luckett, University of Cape Town The curriculum is not just the "stuff" that students must learn to be knowledgeable and skilled in a particular discipline. It's about more than just content. Sociologists of education argue that "curriculum" is a highly ideological hybrid discourse.

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The role of white students in challenging white curriculum

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The role of white students in challenging white curriculum

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“In 1986, Birmingham City Council, a major
West Midlands employer, with 50,000 full and part-time workers, decided as part
of its positive action programme, that its aim would be to recruit 20% of new
staff from ethnic minority communities” (Employment Report, Commission for Racial
Equality, 1987).…

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You can't do that! Stories have to be about White people

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You can't do that! Stories have to be about White people

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I've spent almost two decades teaching in English primary schools, which serve multiracial, multicultural, multifaith communities. I want to explore two things I have noticed.

1) Almost without exception, whenever children are asked to write a story in school, children of colour will write a story featuring white characters with 'traditional' English names who speak English as a first language.

2) Teachers do not discuss this phenomenon.

Furthermore, simply pointing these two things out can lead to some angry responses in my experience.

Why are you making an issue of race when children are colourblind?"

is an example of the sort of question that sometimes gets asked.

Well let's look at that. If children were writing stories where the race of characters was varied and random, there might be some merit in claiming that children are colourblind. However, even proponents of racial colourblindness do not argue that all people are White... and English. They argue that race no longer matters. If that's true, why are young children of colour and young white children writing exclusively about white characters?

But, surely you are not arguing that teachers are telling them to do this?"

I'm not. I think it's more complicated than that.

A few years ago, I taught a Year 2 class in East London. I had built up a good bank of multicultural picture-books and resources and shared these with the class whenever seemed appropriate. When it came time for the class to write their own stories, I suggested that they used the name of someone in their family for their protagonist. I wanted them to draw on their own backgrounds, but was worried about 'making an issue of race'. When it came to sharing their stories, I noticed only one boy had acted upon my suggestion, naming his main character after his uncle. He had recently arrived from Nigeria and was eager to read his story to the class. However when he read out the protagonists name he was interrupted by another boy, who was born in Britain and identified as Congolese.

"You can't do that! Stories have to be about White people."

I'm confident the boy who announced this was being sincere and indeed, in the ensuing class discussion there was a fair bit of uncertainty about who could and couldn't be in stories. I was surprised and confused by this. Why did they always write stories about children from very different backgrounds to themselves? And why were these characters always White? After all, I had shared a number of stories about children of colour with the class.

I just hadn't realised what I was up against.

What do I mean? Well, if you are a teacher, try this with your class. Ask them to write down their favourite 25 children's book characters. Then ask them to count how many of those characters are White (and look for other patterns too). Publishers like Verna Wilkins at Tamarind do a great job at promoting books featuring People of Colour. However, a friend of mine who writes for children, has been told by publishers that by making her central character a black girl, she will reduce its marketability - so unless she is writing specifically about 'black issues' she should make her 'front-cover' characters white.

On World Book Day, many primary schools ask children and staff to dress up as a famous book character. On this day in my local schools, you will see children of colour dressed as White fictional children. Again, this in itself might not be a problem - but the lack of options is worrying for some Black teachers and parents. A Black colleague's exasperation at this, led to us creating a resource for discussion that has proved an effective way of starting conversations with colleagues and children about race and representation in children's literature. World Book Day - A Teacher's Dilemna

This isn't confined at children's literature of course. In her essay oni Morrison argues that 'Playing in the Dark', T "the readers of virtually all of American fiction have been positioned as white." (Morrison 1992:xiv) We might ask if the same is true of children's literature and how that might affect children's relationship to story-writing. And I don't think any such marginalization is limited to books. Take a programme set in the very area of England where I teach. When EastEnders was launched, it was lauded for its inner-city realism and diversity. Recently the BBC compiled this list of characters with the most 'doof doof' cliffhangers - an indication, albeit an imprecise one, of who has the main storyline. In the top 50 characters, the number of People of Colour was exactly zero.

Reflecting on my experience with my Year 2 class, the following year, whilst teaching Year 5, I was emboldened to experiment.

What would happen if for just one lesson I insisted they write about a character from a similar ethnic, religious, linguistic background as themselves - just as I sometimes insist they try to include fronted adverbials, or a moral dilemma for their protagonist?

First we discussed ourselves in terms of amongst other things: language, family migration, physical appearance including skin and hair, religion, hobbies and clothes. Then I asked them to write a character who was similar in some but not necessarily all of categories. As I modelled this process for them, I realized it was something I rarely did in class myself, causing me to later think of my role as a teacher of colour (indeed the only male teacher of colour in my current school.)

Then they wrote. Clearly, many of them enjoyed the lesson and many produced their best piece of writing. Here are a couple of examples:

Bang! As I stormed to headteacher Mrs. Paula's office my head filled with fear. Fear of exclusion!

Mrs. Paula was a short, slim, young white woman with red ruddy cheeks. She was a stern woman who hated disobedience and inappropriateness. As I stroked my black hair, my smooth lips crumpled and my creamy brown face turned red with worry.

Maryam Patel was a twelve year old girl, whose parents were Indian, but she was born in Britain. She was a fairly religious person. However Maryam thought one does not have to wear a headscarf to be religious. She loved her red straight hair. Her hair was as red as blood. She had decided to dye her hair as she hated her dark brown hair. She loved football and the club she supported was Liverpool. One day I will play for the Liverpool women she thought.

I want to avoid making huge claims here. However, I do sense a greater emotional engagement with the story from the children and the beginnings of an authorial voice in both Michael's dramatic first-person opening and Nabila's character description.

Nabila did start four sentences with 'She' and I would want to give her feedback on varying her sentence structure. But there is genuine characterisation in the paragraph not just a short list of features, which I often encounter. More than that, there is some psychological insight in this 9 year-old's writing precisely because she is using her own life as inspiration for her creativity.

Speaking to Nabila, she told me she had never written about an Indian heritage and/or Muslim character before. Nobody had ever told her she shouldn't. But at the same time, nobody had ever explicitly given her permission. Subsequently, she wrote two further full stories about 'Maryam Patel'. The third installment described Maryam's trip to India. Trust me, it was a good read.

*Names of children have been changed.

Teacher, Governor, Higher Ed Tutor, Hip Hop Educator, P4Cer, PhDer. RapClassRoom Find Darren Chetty on twitter @rapclassroom

READ the follow up: Writing and Reading While Black. Lessons learned.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice - and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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"You can't do that! Stories have to be about White people"

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Young Writers of Colour by Darren Chetty I've spent almost two decades teaching in English primary schools, which serve multiracial, multicultural, multifaith communities. I want to explore two things I have noticed. 1) Almost without exception, whenever children are asked to write a story in school, children of colour will write a story featuring white...

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Imperialist Feminism: A Historical Overview

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In this talk at UC, Berkeley (March, 2013), Dr. Kumar argues that the West has often used the liberation of brown women as an excuse for empire. She debunks this rescue narrative starting with the Afghan war and then going back to 19th century colonial narratives in regard to Muslim women.

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Shashi Tharoor at Q&A live, Australia TV on September 4, 2017. MUST LISTEN....

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Shashi Tharoor at Q&A live, Australia TV on September 4, 2017. MUST LISTEN....

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https://www.theodysseyonline.com/unlearning-white-privilege-2478723052.html

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As a white woman who enjoys a multitude of privileges, but who strives to be a part of a wider circle for social justice in this nation and beyond, I have a duty to educate myself about what this means for me. For the purposes of education, I have put together a little guide to help white friends who are interested in learning more about racism and particularly how they can come to more enlightened understandings of this complex issue.

The Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation helps white people understand the theory and nuances behind cultural appropriation, an often highly misunderstood concept among white identifying people. Cultural appropriation is a real issue that deserves careful study and attention.

4 Ways White People Can Process Their Emotions Without Bringing White Tears is extremely important to white people doing anti-racist work. This is hard and grueling work for all people involved, and because of the emotional intensity, those entering it can find themselves overwhelmed. However, there are ways that white people through how they conduct themselves in these operations, can perpetuate they very systems they are trying to fight. This article will help you process your emotions in a healthy constructive way which won't re-victimize the PoC you are trying to stand in solidarity with. Especially helpful for those struggling with "White Guilt.

6 Ways Well Intentioned People Whitesplain Racism (And Why They Need to Stop) is great for understanding how some of the language you use can be harmful to people of color. Just a general list of how you should approach these conversations.

White Like Me with Tim Wise is a documentary that is a great introduction to this sort of influence. Tim is frank with the audience about his own struggles against white supremacy, and has been honest in how he himself has perpetrated such oppression. It's a great, easy watch and helps for a basis to these complex ideas.

Accomplices Not Allies takes on a critique of the current model of allyship and helps push the boundaries of what is an acceptable ally. Important for those who already consider themselves allies and want to push the boundaries more.

You can't ignore racism and raise anti-racist children. You have to tackle it head-on is a great read for explaining how to raise children (especially white children) in a way that is conscious of and tackles the issues of racism in today's day and age.

Dear White America is an open and frank letter asking white people to reexamine their place in the oppression of PoC in America.

UnderstandingPrejudice also has a great website for this sort of information, including this great article debunking myths that affirmative action has unfairly oppressed white people in admissions.

For Christians interested in a religious approach to racism and solidarity, I recommend Black Power and Black Theology by James H. Cone, as well as anything else by the author. Also, Whiteness and Christology edited by George Yancy is also recommended.

I also highly recommend Dismantling Privilege: An Ethics of Accountability by Mary Elizabeth Hobgood.

Also, literally anything written by bell hooks is a surefire way to learn valuable lessons about these important issues.

Last of all, I highly suggest 7 Ways to Radically Love Yourself in 2016, because radical self-love is also part of the struggle.

Alternative news sources that will give you narratives that are sensitive to these issues, and which I highly suggest include the following:

Democracy Now!

Dollars & Sense

Free Inquiry

In These Times

Boston Review

Contingencies

www.dissidentvoice.org
I would like to dedicate this article to Clelia Rodr ì guez, my travelling professor for the IHP study abroad trip, as well as my class from this time, all of whom helped introduce me to much of this material and become aware of these important issues.

I hope that this article has helped someone on their path of (un)learning. We ALL have a long way to go, including myself. I want to keep learning and growing. If anyone else has suggestions on articles/media that helps, I'd love for you to share them with me so that I can keep growing as a person too.

Note: this article deals mainly with resources on racism, but there are many more dimensions of oppression not mentioned in this article, and is not meant to disclude them, only that this article is not meant to tackle these particular issues.

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A Syllabus of (un)learning for Anti-Racist White Americans in a Trump era.

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As a white woman who enjoys a multitude of privileges, but who strives to be a part of a wider circle for social justice in this nation and beyond, I have a duty to educate myself about what this means for me.

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The lowest difficulty setting there is

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Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is

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I've been thinking of a way to explain to straight white men how life works for them, without invoking the dreaded word "privilege," to which they react like vampires being fed a garlic tart at high noon. It's not that the word "privilege" is incorrect, it's that it's not their word.

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Books for children and teens

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Amy Cheney is currently the District Library Manager of Oakland Unified School District after working for many years on the behalf of incarcerated children. All views expressed are her own, and do not reflect those of her employer.

With the horrors of Amerikkkan White entitlement showing more of itself in Charlottesville this past August, I received this email from Center for Popular Action , which I quote in part:

"White supremacy (...) is a reflection of centuries-long oppressive structures that permeate every aspect of our government, financial systems, cultural norms, and society at large. It's a system in which Black and Brown bodies are continually devalued, marginalized, and criminalized, and those that perpetrate violence on people of color are protected, promoted, and honored."

This paragraph gave me pause. When I read "those that perpetuate violence on people of color are protected, promoted and honored" I immediately thought of a recent experience I had that illustrates this--and NOT by the Alt-Right plowing cars into people, or Sheriff Arpaio , but by well-intentioned White librarians and a venerated graphic novelist.

Let's be clear:by being on the panel, this White person was being promoted and honored.

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that this was not going to go well.

As a White person, I have had many experiences of my privilege in the realm of showing up to a public forum without adequate preparation because I am used to being believed, listened to, honored, promoted and protected. Donald Trump exhibits an extreme version of this where he believes everything he says is important and true and he can say it just because of who he is. I have talked on and on about something I actually knew nothing about, all the while thinking I was making a valuable point.White people don't have to prepare or analyze, or take time to understand people's point of view because what we think fits into cultural norms, and.....truly, underneath it all, we've bought into the belief that we know what we are talking about, that our conversation and voice is important because we are good, we mean well, we are a part of the solution, and... we aren't racist.

The analysis that follows is both personal and not personal to Raina Telgemeier (RT) and the moderators (JB and AJF). They are good people, fantastic librarians and a terrific author/illustrator. It is personal only in that they have a responsibility, as all of us White people do, to uncover, unearth and deal with the legacy we have been born into.

At 41.07 in the video, a question is asked to RT.

From 41.35 onward RT deflects, devalues and marginalizes what people of color and First/Native Nations have been saying to her about her book while displaying all the classic signs of White fragility. AJF and JB support and protect her.

What is absolutely horrifying to me about this interchange is:

1. RT did not and was not able to provide a clear summary and context of the criticisms leveled against her book and break down her responsibility in perpetuating the devaluation and marginalization of people of color and First/Native Nations. She actually turned to the person of color who asked the question to provide the context.

She focuses on her validity to write a book about Mexican Americans, in part because she married into a Latin American family. "I didn't think I was borrowing, I thought I was experiencing something on a personal level and sharing stories" (43.01). RT does not show a clear understanding of what people of color and First/Native Nations have been saying about cultural appropriation.She says that she has been thinking deeply about this, but whatever thinking she has done was not apparent or shared in any meaningful way. Here's just 2. RT devolved into her "right" to write a book because "some of my best friends are _______." one article (the basic 101 version) that outlines some issues about cultural appropriation.

At 43.14 there is a clear example of White fragility and deflecting from the issues raised by people of color and First/Native Nations: "I'm not allowed to talk about going through a divorce right now, but it's really difficult," she says with tears. Somehow RT is now the victim - "not allowed to talk"and has extenuating circumstances - difficult divorce - that explains away/detracts from addressing the question. This is what often happens when White people are confronted about racism and it's what people of color have brought up time and again. This was a complete deflection from the racism in the book 3. RT's comments devolved into personal issues that deflected from the very real issue of the genocide her book glosses over and normalizes. Ghosts,the question at hand and what the panel was supposed to be about.

4. At 43.28 the moderators AJF and JB jump in to "take care" of and protect RT from her personal issues that she is using to distract from addressing the real issues of the problems of her book.

5. At 43.33 elaborate and nonsensical arguments are used to protect RT. AJF uses the bizarre argument that why we need more diversity overall is because "when there are these unique stories presented they are highly criticized because there are no other voices telling these stories" and that "it's really easy when there is one example of it to be picked apart because it can't be everything to everyone." I know AJFdidn't mean that we need more diversity so that White people don't get criticized, but that is actually what she said!

6. At 44.15, AJF says the book deals "a lot with California Missions"and "the things that we are taught about California Missions and the things that we are not taught about California Missions is huge." The moderators should have been prepared--i.e. thought through carefully why they included RT on a panel about diversity, be prepared to provide a context of the feedback given by people of color and First/Native Nations and to unequivocally denounce what was written/illustrated in Accurate context is not provided by the moderators thereby perpetuating White point of view as normal. Ghosts that glosses over and thus perpetuates genocide and violence.

For example, they could have credited Debbie Reese, who has already been so kind to inform those that didn't already know that California Missions were the sites of massive genocide of First/Native Nations peoples.See to understand how her analysis here Ghosts whitewashes the brutal history of the missions. The moderators and the author could have highlighted and distilled what Debbie Reese and others say in order to educate the audience as to the issues, thus honoring, promoting and valuing the voices of people of color and First/Native Nations.

7. White supremacy is used as an excuse for non-accountability. It seems that AJF's point was that due to White supremacy we can't be held accountable to the ways in which we have bought in, been misinformed, etc. If that's the case, how have people of color and First/Native Nations been informed? Yes, due to White supremacy we are taught a whitewashed version of history but that doesn't excuse us for perpetuating what we have been taught, for being so vague in our answers and not taking the platform that is given to educate, unequivocally, those in the audience that still may be unaware. Instead these three White people did not take the platform they had to do this.

The book was not criticized "because there were ghosts at the Missions" as AJFsays, but 1. because the Missions setting was portrayed in a benign and thus false way and 2. as Yuyi Morales points out (in the comments section): Day of the Dead is not about ghosts but about the souls of the departed. These things could have been clearly articulated by any of the White people.

8. White supremacy is blamed and also used as an excuse for not taking personal responsibility. At 45.00 RT sorta takes ownership: "It (What is It? This needs to be clearly said!) was an oversight and I have to take responsibility for that." However, within 7 seconds, at 45.07she clearly does not take responsibility by saying "but it was not something flagged by a single reader, and I had several of them." This comment highlights privilege ("I had readers") as an excuse to justify personal innocence. She seems to be saying that not ALL these White people and other readers could be wrong! Uh, yeah. They could be and are.

9. White supremacy is blamed for victimizing us all. Non-acknowledgement of inherent bias/racism is used to justify not doing adequate research. At 50:50 RT says she did a ton of research and wishes that books and information would have been available to her. This is an example of a mistaken, passive and dangerous belief that we are all victims of White supremacy. Let's be clear: RT is benefiting from, not victimized by, White supremacy throughout this entire debacle.

At 44:39 AJF says that "I don't know of an editor that would have that kind of experience to question what we were taught." First of all, this is a completely arrogant statement, second of all, it's not true, and third of all, that's not an excuse, reason or explanation: all of us need to learn how to question what we were taught and how we perpetuate the myth of White supremacy. In addition, it's NOT up to people of color and First/Native Nations to do this work, but it IS up to us White people.

A simple Google search of "california missions racism" pulls up all one needed to know. On my browser this is included in the second entry: "Missions were little more than concentration camps where California's Indians were beaten, whipped, maimed, burned, tortured and virtually exterminated by the friars." Elias Castillo

As to the possibility that the Scholastic editorial team did not question, fact check, google or utilize their resources to either hire a person of color or First/Native Nations to write this book or fact check a book by a White author about people of color -- that is also their responsibility that doesn't diminish RT's responsibility.

This "oversight" might have occurred because it might not have occurred to any of these White people that they could be unqualified or racist and that it's their responsibility to question the status quo.

10. 46.42 Continued elaborate justifications by the moderators take more time and deflect from the purpose of the panel. Both AJF and JB appear to hold the book in such high esteem for the fact that it is taking on "this topic" (meaning Day of the Dead? Missions? Biracial kids?). All of these topics have been shown to be problematic! Why is this not acknowledged and instead explained away? JB's perspective that "this could be the ONLY book that kids in Kansas read about this topic" means that somehow this justifies the writing of it and completely undermines, devalues, and Whitesplains away what people of color and First/Native Nations have been saying about the book.

Just to be clear - the criticism isn't that RT is White and therefore shouldn't have written the story. No, the problem is that she used (culturally appropriated) Latinx characters and culture that she didn't accurately represent, and she erased a genocide. Please see Nic Stone's terrific article about the dangers of "helping" marginalized people be more visible.

11. The people of color on the panel had just a few moments to introduce some good points and places of exploration. These were not picked up by the moderators and built upon, instead the conversation was ended. For examples:at 49.34 Mariko Tamaki clearly acknowledges her process of understanding how she might be inadvertently racist and outlines a very simple way to make an apology.This is not heard or followed up on. At 51.35 more from Mariko that's not expanded upon. At 53.57 Thi Bui gets a few moments at the very end, when she speaks about telling stories from marginalized perspectives and listening to feedback. This is where JB ends the discussion. There were many opportunities on the panel (and before!) for RT, AJF and JB to hear what people of color and First/Native Nations were saying. Instead, the attention and time was used to support and protect RT's personal defended stance.

12. This entire exchange took from 41:01 - 54:51--almost 15 minutes of time. This panel was supposed to be about Diversity in Graphic Novels and was derailed by a bunch of White BS.

Dare I say that all of this individual lack of ownership of the problem by White people adds up to collective systemic oppression? What I'm shining a light on here is a perfect example of a group of good, well-intentioned White people -- publishers, author, "readers", editors, moderators, etc--acting together to assert their point of view, meanwhile devaluing and marginalizing the point of view of people of color and First Native/Nations.

The solidification of "White is right" violence continues with what looks like the a ll White judging panel for the Eisner Awards selecting Ghosts to win Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12).

It is our responsibility as White people to:

Expose, attend to, and acknowledge--when appropriate--all the ways that we are racist, inadvertent or not

Listen to, find the validity of and reach a deep understanding of people of color's and First Native/Nation feedback-- especially those we don't understand or seem contrary to our views

Move through our shame and excuses (didn't know, didn't mean to, but- blah, blah, blah)

Take action to rectify the problem, especially at personal expense. This means taking action that is not easy, convenient or lucrative, but is doing the right thing to make amends and reparations.

If indeed, if RT, AJF and JB want to take responsibility, the response could have been/can be any number of things such as:

Give back all proceeds of the book to small presses that are highlightingpeople of color and native people such as Blood Orange Press , or one of the presses listed .

Stop the press run of Ghosts and refuse to make money by perpetuating ignorance and inaccuracies that ultimately harm us all and that are off of the backs of people of color and First/Native Nations.

Keep the video that is linked in this piece up on the web. In this way other Whitepeople who want to see what covert yet solidified racism looks like can.

Unconsciousness or good intentions doesn't excuse behavior or make it less racist and violent. Illuminating and eradicating racism takes vigilant work that can only come about if it's understood that we are inadvertently and covertly racist and that we will inevitably expose this. We then need to learn to own this racism, learn from our mistakes, speak out, refuse to participate with the status quo and take positive action for a more equitable and just world. Only when personal responsibility is taken can oppressive systems be dismantled.

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Amy Cheney is currently the District Library Manager of Oakland Unified School District after working for many years on the behalf of incarcerated children. All views expressed are her own, and do not reflect those of her employer.

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This documentary chronicles White Americans reflecting on white racial identity and racism. Areas the video explores include; the question of how people of European descent were transformed into "White" people; what it means to be White; White privilege; the difference between personal prejudices and societal racism; and how White people can challenge contemporary forms of societal racism.

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The debate sparked by a group of undergraduates at the University of Cambridge, on how and whether to "decolonise" British tertiary education by incorporating more black and minority ethnic voices, is spreading rapidly across universities and academic disciplines.

Paul Gilroy, professor of American and English literature at King's College London, tweeted an image of Batman proclaiming "Decolonising the humanities isn't just about Oxbridge", and commented: "The caped crusader speaks for many of us."

Malachi McIntosh, a Cambridge research fellow and expert on 20th and 21st century Caribbean literature, sees traditional curricula as damaging - and not just to literary understanding.

"Arguably, the narrowness of our curricula - at all levels of education - has fuelled the current political status quo, where a crude understanding of 'us' and 'them', built on a sepia-tinged nostalgia for a past that never was, is inspiring grand acts of national self-harm," he says.

"In my eyes, the question is simple. Do we want to educate young people so that they understand the full range of experiences and perspectives that have contributed to world history? If our answer to that is yes, then we, at least in principle, support repeatedly reassessing who is read and studied and questioning what experiences and perspectives are left out. If our answer is no, then, in principle, we support limiting the exposure of the next and subsequent generations to the realities of the world they occupy."

Emma Smith, professor of Shakespeare studies at the University of Oxford, is shocked at the venom of some of the media coverage of the debate, and links it to other recent attacks on academic freedom. "We are all in defensive mode, I think, as if whatever we say will be wrong, what with ' Brexit lecturers' and 'leftie heads of colleges' and ' social apartheid '," she says.

Smith, who three years ago led an initiative at her college, Hertford, to replace the portraits of long-dead men with newly commissioned photographs of female alumni, welcomes the debate on broadening the syllabus, including in her own discipline - Shakespeare studies is one area that the Cambridge students singled out as meriting a postcolonial approach.

"I think this is exciting and prioritises new ways of seeing the canon, as well as bringing in new writers," she says. "Decolonising to me is about developing and employing the critical, historical and conceptual tools to see how 'English' literature - like other 'English' things like tea and St George - is deeply, richly, problematically interconnected with ongoing histories of travel, colonisation, empire and migration."

Gurminder K Bhambra, professor of postcolonial and decolonial studies at the University of Sussex, is amused - almost - that it took a row at Cambridge to get the issue widely reported in the media. She has created a website, Global Social Theory - now being contributed to by academics, students and people interested in the subject from all over the world - precisely to provide a wider view.

"Some of us have been working in this area for many, many years," Bhambra says. "However, the debate the students have started is welcome and important, if it helps more people to understand that this is not about narrowing, it is about broadening."

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'Welcome and important': academics on decolonising education

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The debate sparked by a group of undergraduates at the University of Cambridge, on how and whether to "decolonise" British tertiary education by incorporating more black and minority ethnic voices, is spreading rapidly across universities and academic disciplines.

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https://www.opendemocracy.net/transformation/lori-lakin-hutcherson/my-white-friend-asked-me-to-explain-white-privilege-so-i-decide

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University of Leeds' Melz Owusu's  inspirational TEDx talk 'Why is my curriculum white?'

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University of Leeds' Melz Owusu's  inspirational TEDx talk 'Why is my curriculum white?'

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeKHOTDwZxU

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Decolonising the Curriculum | Melz Owusu | TEDxUniversityofLeeds

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Imperialist Feminism: A Historical Overview

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In this talk at UC, Berkeley (March, 2013), Dr. Kumar argues that the West has often used the liberation of brown women as an excuse for empire. She debunks this rescue narrative starting with the Afghan war and then going back to 19th century colonial narratives in regard to Muslim women.

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Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin Di Angelo

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Dr. Robin DiAngelo is the author of What Does it Mean to Be White? Developing White Racial Literacy and has been an anti-racist educator, and has heard justifications of racism by white men and women in her workshops for over two decades. This justification, which she calls “white fragility,” is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.

This video is part of the Vital Conversations 1 video series.

For more information on this series, click here:
http://www.gcorr.org/video/vital-conversations-racism-dr-robin-diangelo/

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Why I'm no longer talking to people about race

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Why I'm no longer talking to people about race

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The Danger of a Single Story - Chimamanda Adichie (TED Talk) 

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The Danger of a Single Story - Chimamanda Adichie (TED Talk) 

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Please [contact us](https://www.ted.com/contact) and let us know what happened.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dscx4h2l-Pk