Anti-racism in the classroom
Dr Amina Douidi is an ELT Materials Writer who specialises in DEI and Intercultural communication. You can find her on twitter via @DouidiAmina and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aminadouidi
It is Black History season in Europe and many teachers are tiptoeing around the topic of racism. Many find 'the topic' sensitive and worry to offend their students by saying or doing the wrong thing. George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight which led the world to have its racial awakening, but many of us are still whispering the word 'Black'.
We can do better than that, can't we?
I am writing this blog in order to accompany a series of worksheets that Silvina Mascitti and I have designed to support ELT teachers in addressing anti-racism in the classroom. The four worksheets can be found here (week 1, week 2, week 3 and week 4). I hope that in addition to the worksheets, the following tips will point you in the right direction.
So, how can you be an anti-racist teacher?
1. Create a safe classroom culture
Classroom culture is co-constructed with the learners from day one. Some teachers ask students to put their chairs up at the end of each class or to turn their cameras on during an online class. Others ask them to stand up and greet the session's guests in unison. In some classrooms, borrowing pens and books and sharing personal stories are the norm. If you feel that your class is not there yet, prioritise creating a safe space for all your students first; Black History Month can wait.
2. Do not centre the Black narrative around slavery
Some would say 'it all started with slavery'. No! Historically, it all started with 'enslavement', with White men claiming ownership of lands, minds and bodies. Slavery is the outcome of White supremacy, imperialism and colonialism. Deconstruct the latter. You may also say 'but, slavery is a historical fact!' Yes, as is Hitler. But, when we think about Germany, we think about the robust automobile industry and punctuality. Although these are positive stereotypes that can be as harmful, they are nonetheless an illustration of how narratives can be constructed around positive stories. We choose to represent Germany in a positive light. Let's choose to do the same for our Black boys and girls.
3. Choose your images wisely
There are trigger warnings (TW) all over the internet. They are an emergent form of social media etiquette that most of us have subscribed to and learned to appreciate. Consider using TWs in your classroom and read the room before exposing your learners to triggering images and imageries. For example, in Dr Martin Luther King Jr's speech, 'I Have a Dream', the word 'Negro' is referred to 15 times. Left without context, foreign language learners who are appreciative of US Black popular culture might find it offensive that the N-word is openly used in their classroom. Dedicate sufficient time to provide a historical contextualisation and explanation. You may also want to restrain from exposing pictures of lynching and torture. Having to write this example down is giving me chills.
4. Focus on acknowledging the impact of Black people on humanity
There are a plethora of resources out there on Rosa Parks and Dr MLK which can be accessed by your learners on their own time. Thus, you may want to broaden and diversify your references. Whether you are in Brasil, Pakistan, Spain, Algeria or in the UK, I am certain that there are examples of Black Excellence that your students can relate to. Note that I have included hyperlinks to the countries aforecited. You can also ask your students to do research and create a poster or write a paper on a Black scientist, athlete, author or artist of their choosing. They will impress you, I'm sure! Give them extra points or a star if they choose to talk about local figures.
5. Racism is not a US problem
Referring to US civil rights activists is good, but it can contribute to making the racial issue US-specific. Distancing yourself, your school, your students and the country you are in from racial discrimination can be a safe choice, but it can also be counterproductive. Being actively anti-racist requires recognising the everyday spectrum of racial aggressions, invisibilisation, and systemic discrimination against racialised individuals and communities in your locality (and globally), but first, locally!
6. Protect your Black students
Children can be cruel. Please ensure the safeguarding and well-being of your Black students inside and outside of the classroom, especially during BHM (see testimony here).
7. Be anti-racist all year long
Black authors, thinkers, artists and creators have been sharing content and stories through podcasts, tweets, Instagram posts, books, blogs, videos and films which are widely available for us to get educated. Let's not burden them with our ignorance and let's do the work. Teachers are resourceful and creative. We are capable of being actively resourceful and creative at adopting an anti-racist approach in our teaching, our curriculum and our language, every day, all year long.
Why?
Because we can do better.
Finally, I would like to highlight that some of these tips are based on the input of the participants who took part in my doctoral research on interculturality in ELT textbooks and classroom discourse. The majority of these tips, though, are informed by the research and experiences of Black thinkers, the likes of Dr Muna Abdi.
