Racism

Course Description

Racism is very present in our daily lives. Sometimes we might be racist without even meaning to be: a comment we pass, a non-verbal message we express. It is important for us as educators to be self aware first and foremost, and alert to the different forms of racism which we come across inside and outside of school.

Estimated Lesson Duration: 40 minutes

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session participants will be able to:

Outline the history of racism;
Identify instances of racism;
Plan activities aimed to combat racism

The Session

Introduction

What is racism? Are we racist? We often do not think of ourselves to be racist, because we do not express overtly racist views, especially against black people. Indeed, it could well be that we do not consciously manifest racist views and behaviour. The video ‘I am not racist, but’ shows how people express racist sentiments. The video is found in the second slide of the PPT presentation.

Activity 1: Racism through history

Continue going through the whole presentation

Activity 2: Is there racism in schools?

Read the article from the Guardian: There’s a hidden epidemic of racism in UK schools – but it’s finally coming to light.

Read the article from TVM: Maltese and foreign students do not feel there is racism in schools.

These two articles paint a very contrasting picture of the experience of racism in schools. However, a line in the TVM article seems to infer that racism is present, but it’s best to ignore it, “Sean said, “it wasn’t difficult, everyone is tolerant… don’t be irrational and make a big deal about racism…let it go and go with the flow”.

How healthy is it to ignore racism? What are the implications of ignoring racism (as an educator, as a student, as a parent)?

Think of your experience as an educator:

Have you ever witnessed, or heard of incidents of racism such as racist talk among teachers or students, teachers being racist towards their students, or students towards their peers.
Have parents ever made claims based on their racist beliefs? (E.g. parents complaining that they do not want their kids to sit near migrants)

Sometimes, when we are exposed to such incidents we are at a loss as to what we should do. Choose one of the above scenarios and think of a plan of action that would address the racism within that scenario.