Originally posted on LinkedIn in May 2020.
My fellow educators/ students/ global citizens,
While education on its own is not enough to challenge discrimination, it provides the opportunity to transform attitudes and beliefs. Canada’s reputation as a multicultural country has perpetuated an image of the absence of racism, however, this is blatantly contradicted by our history of forced indigenous assimilation as well as recent heartbreaking events. In light of these recent events stained with racism, bias and injustice (to name just a few, the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, attacks against so many other Black individuals and experiences of xenophobia against the Asian community), it is NOW more important than ever to reflect on and change our teaching practice.
“Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”
ILJEOMA OLUO
As teachers, we have the valuable opportunity to work closely with young citizens of all races and help shape how they interact with the world. That chance to create positive change and build impactful relationships is why I went into the field of education. While completing my Masters degree at OISE, I conducted a literature review on the Current Landscape of Anti-Racist Education in the Classroom. As a student who experienced racism, I chose to focus on this topic because I understood how crucial it was to teach my future students how to be antiracist. In the following year, I focused on anti-discrimination in STEM because I was going to be teaching science and social science in high school. Ijeoma Oluo (author of So You Want To Talk About Race) describes antiracism as “the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward”. Antiracism is active, not passive. It is a tool meant to unpack perspectives, create awareness and drive education on these issues. It seeks to help students understand and handle racism by addressing and challenging different inequalities. Yes, it does require conversations that can be difficult and uncomfortable, but I promise you that these are the conversations that are going to make an impact. I am sharing my paper in the hopes that it provides research-based insight on why schools need this pedagogy, common approaches as well as considerations for effectively teaching it.
There are so many other resources and organizations that we can use to help us transform our teaching pedagogy to include antiracist education. These same resources can be used by ANYONE. Here are a few I have used in the past/ have recently been shared with me:
- Anti-Racism Resources: Resources such as podcasts, Netflix films/TV services, books, etc. compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein;
- The New York Times: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s list of books to help America transcend its racist heritages;
- Racial Literacy Club: Monthly book lists and teaching resources;
- Facing History and Ourselves: Lessons and teaching resources curated to help students learn about hatred and bigotry to prevent it in the future)
It is NOW more important than ever to find ways to adapt and incorporate anti-racist education into our practice. I am always looking to further educate myself so if you have more resources, please share and I will update this resource list.
With gratitude, Abbey.
ABBEY RAMDEO 