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Racial Injustice and The Transformative Power of Education

  • Writer: Rosie Gibbs
    Rosie Gibbs
  • Jun 13, 2020
  • 8 min read

Updated: Sep 15, 2022




As an undergraduate Education student with a particular interest in inequality and injustice, I have an appreciation for the transformative power that education can possess when tackling social issues. In light of recent events, I have been expanding my knowledge on racial injustice and the current state of the education system in regard to this issue; whilst considering the ways by which appropriate education could provoke positive change. Please note that I am still very much in the process of educating myself on these issues, and am by no means claiming to be an expert. I have been really unsure about posting this as a large part of me feels that I don't have the expertise, knowledge, or even the right (coming from a position of privilege) to put in my two pence; however, I believe that it is more important to use that privilege to amplify the voices of those who do not share my advantage, and so I decided to go ahead. And you know what, even if this simply encourages you to think 'she doesn't know what she's talking about - I'll go and listen to an expert instead', then that's still movement in the right direction. These are simply some of the reflections that I have had over the past couple weeks whilst researching, reading, and listening to those at the forefront; and I hope that I might encourage others to stop and consider their own position too. I would also like to stress the fact that I am not excluding myself from the harsh truths of this conversation, and a large part of my reason for writing this is to reflect upon and digest the wake-up-call that I was recently confronted with. I understand that I will never fully understand, however I wish to stand in solidarity with the BAME communities and do all that I can to educate myself and help to generate positive change.



As a white woman, I believe that my education did not enable me to recognise and reflect upon my privilege, and left me rather ignorant to the disadvantage, oppression and discrimination experienced by BAME communities (past and present). The fact that I am now twenty-two years old, and am only just being fully awakened to the true extent of the problem speaks for itself really. We, as members of the white community, have been sheltered by our own privilege, and are often guilty of disconnecting ourselves from the struggles faced by other members of our society. While plenty of us can confidently argue that we are not racially prejudiced; how many of us can truly state that we are actively anti-racist? A person who actively opposes racism is someone who understands their own privilege; who has educated themselves on the ways that racism is affecting and has affected the lives of those discriminated against; someone who pushes for change; who challenges racially prejudiced ideologies; and calls out racism on every level. Ibram X. Kendi argues that ‘there is no neutrality in the racism struggle. One either allows racial inequalities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequalities, as an antiracist’. This may be a hard pill to swallow, but why not take those feelings of discomfort and strive to educate yourself in order to make a positive change. Listen to those affected by discrimination; follow human rights movements (such as Black Lives Matter); read; research; take action; and have conversations with those around you. Now is the time to delve into those harsh and uncomfortable truths, and understand the privilege that we have been afforded by the system. Because no feelings of discomfort, guilt or helplessness that we as white people may occasionally experience, will ever come close to the feelings of fear, injustice, anger, sorrow, grief and turbulence that members of BAME communities encounter on a daily basis. It is a huge privilege to simply educate yourself on racism, when for so many it occupies a major part of their lived experiences. There really is no excuse to be ignorant, impartial or unsure.



However, merely encouraging people to self-educate does not hold the longevity or power to bring about permanent or systemic transformations. We must instead utilise the boundless influence and capacity of the formal education system to generate the deep-rooted change that is so desperately needed. However, the grim reality is that our education system is actually contributing to the oppression of BAME communities; largely through failing to address and educate children on social injustices such as racism, but also by glossing over parts of British history that portray Britain in an antagonistic light. Therefore, in order to employ the education system for positive change; it must first be dismantled and reimagined to promote an inclusive, diverse and socially current curriculum. Bearing in mind that our National Curriculum is (on paper) designed to provide students with ‘the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens’ and prepare them for the ‘opportunities, experiences and responsibilities of later life’ (Department for Education, 2013); formal education should be a key means of producing socially aware and responsible citizens. But, sadly, this is currently not the case. As it stands, there is no allowance in the National Curriculum for mandatory lessons on major social issues and injustices such as racism, and so individuals are being left to self-educate on such topics. This is promoting the message that it is optional and non-essential to learn about racism, and the acute, detrimental effects that it has had, is having, and will have on those discriminated against. It is promoting the message that racism is a thing of the past, and that it is not a responsibility of our current society. It is promoting the message that Britain is innocent of racial prejudice, and that we do not need to act against it. But, as we know, this is far from the truth. The curriculum must be adapted in order to accommodate lessons on social injustice, through which children can be enabled to recognise and reflect upon their own privilege and taught how to be anti-racist citizens. The overriding aim of the National Curriculum; to provide young people with 'the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens'; simply cannot be fulfilled until the teaching of social issues and injustices becomes a mandatory part of our curriculum.


However, the curriculum must also be examined and adjusted from the inside-out. British children are currently being taught about British history from a biased and short-sighted perspective; particularly with regard to Britain’s role in the slave trade and in colonisation, which involved the severe oppression and mistreatment of, as well as disgraceful acts of brutality towards BAME communities. Again, reverting back to the National Curriculum, it is stated that history education across Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, should enable students to ‘gain a coherent knowledge and understanding of Britain’s past and that of the wider world’, as well as help pupils to ‘understand the complexity of people’s lives, the process of change, the diversity of societies and relationships between different groups, as well as their own identity and the challenges of time’ (Department for Education, 2013). As I read through these statements from the DfE, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that such a significant and consequential part of British history has been allowed to be left out of the curriculum. How can the DfE possibly argue that the national curriculum provides children with the opportunity to develop a broad and 'coherent' understanding of British history, and understand the ‘complexity of people’s lives’ and ‘their own identity and the challenges of time’, when such an enormous chunk of history is being completely overlooked and denied. Yes, it may be uncomfortable to talk about. Yes, it may leave us with feelings of guilt and shame. But this biased approach to education is further adding to the blindness of the white British community to the past and present struggles of BAME communities, and so we must acquaint young people with the harsh, unbiased truth in order to move forwards.


Nelson Mandela famously argued that ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’. And, although spoken in 2003, I believe that those words are still as relevant as they were seventeen years ago. Our education system should be at the forefront of promoting equality and individual agency without restriction, and should allow all members of society to reach their full potential. Schools provide the ideal environment for which we can equip children with the facts and the tools that they need to tackle racism, wherever life may take them. Young white people in the UK must not be left ignorant to the vast challenges faced by their counterparts from different backgrounds; and we must not keep relying upon the argument that it is only the older generations that this ignorance and prejudice resides within, or that as those people reach the end of their lifespan, so shall racial injustice. This is not a waiting game, people are literally losing their lives as a result of it. We must act now, and education is square one.



Important Resources - Educate Yourself!



UK Government and Parliament Petitions (the government has been known to dismiss petitions that are not hosted on the gov. site (even when they've had an enormous response) - let's not give them any excuses!)



Articles



Instagram (a small selection of the campaigns, voices, authors, academics, foundations and movements that you can follow - there are so many more, just look!)


  • @fillintheblanksuk (a UK campaign led by students of former British colonies seeking to mandate the teaching of colonial history)

  • @theblackcurriculum (teach Black British History in schools and out of schools to young people around the UK)

  • @theconsciouskid (parenting and education through a critical race lens)

  • @rachel.cargle (an academic, writer and lecturer who's work is rooted in providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and womanhood. Her instagram guides conversation, encourages critical thinking and nurtures meaningful engagement)

  • @laylafsaad (bestselling author of 'Me and White Supremacy'. A speaker and teacher on the topics of race, identity, leadership, personal transformation and social change)

  • @ibramxk (academic, award-winning and bestselling author, and leading antiracist voice)

  • @blklivesmatter (official instagram for the Black Lives Matter movement)


Books (a small selection of books to help get you started on your anti-racism journey. Again, there are so many more so keep researching!)


  • Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad (leads readers through a journey of understanding their white privilege and participation in white supremacy so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of colour, and in turn, help other white people do better too)

  • Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism)

  • White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (Robin DiAngelo coined the term 'White Fragility' in 2011 and is here to show us how it serves to uphold the system of white supremacy)

  • How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracism Research and Policy Centre, shows that when it comes to racism, neutrality is not an option: until we become part of the solution, we can only be part of the problem)

  • So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions and the Black Lives Matter movement)


Podcasts


  • About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge

  • Code Switch - NPR

  • Intersectionality Matters! - hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

  • Dear White Women - hosted by Sara and Misasha

  • Good Ancestor Podcast with Layla F. Saad

  • Witness Black History - BBC World Service



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