Becoming an Anti-Racist Educator

(DRAFT version — this resource was originally created for graduate students and is in the process of being updated for faculty)

Overview

While we have seen how framing conversations around equity, diversity, and inclusion in education in the language of culturally relevant pedagogy can be useful, there are those who argue that this approach does not go far enough. In today’s political climate of polarization, increasing racially motivated hate crimes, a strong movement has emerged calling for educators to do more than simply become ‘aware’, but rather to take an active anti-racist and anti-oppression stance in the classroom to mitigate prevalent social injustice. This chapter explores some key concepts in this movement and considers how you, as a GTA, may draw on these in your own teaching journey.

Please note that the information presented here is just the tip of the ice-berg and meant to provide a starting point for your journey into becoming an anti-racist educator.

1. Contextualize

Racism in Canada

To take a deeper dive into understanding the history of racism in Canada, read through this brief summary by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.

Learn more about how Canada’s recent creation of two national holidays (Aug. 1st and Sept. 30) as Emancipation Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation highlights Canada’s attempt to come to terms with its long history of racism. To learn more about the history of slavery in Canada, including the slavery of Indigenous people, click here. 

Racism in Higher Education

Central to the argument that Canadian educators in university settings must work harder to mitigate the harms of racism in their classrooms is the understanding of how prevalent racism is our institutions of higher education. Read this article by Dan Cantiller providing a summary of the literature on the impact of racism on students in Canadian universities. Unfortunately, racism in Canada takes many forms. Below are some resources about some of the most prevalent forms of racism.

Anti-Indigenous Racism

As a starting point for contextualizing anti-Indigenous racism in Canada, begin by visiting this open-source Indigenous Education Resources by Jean-Paul Restoule for OISE, University of Toronto. In this module, you will learn about the harmful effects of stereotyping and racism on Indigenous communities and individuals. Click on this link to begin.

Anti-Black Racism

Although Canada and Canadians are often depicted as being open and accepting of diversity, Canada has a long history of racism towards the Black community,  participated in the enslavement of Black people for hundreds of years. Through slavery and other impacts of colonization, Canada’s white population were often the recipients of great social and economic advantages that were not afforded to the Black community (Mayorga & Picower, 2017). The impacts of this history can be seen in the educational context in the way that Black students:

• Frequently underperform academically
• Experience higher rates of high school dropouts
• Experience a greater likelihood of facing punitive measures

To deepen your own understanding of the history of anti-Black racism faced by Black Canadians, watch this 2 minute video documenting the history of Africville in Nova Scotia, Canada:

To learn more about the history of Africville, check out the Canadian Encyclopedia’s article here. 

Alberta has its own little known history of Black settlers to the province. Learn more here.

Anti-Asian Racism

Unfortunately, there has been a long history of anti-asian racism in Canada as well. Click here and scroll down to the timeline.

Today, anti-Asian racism has increased dramatically since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a look at this info graph by the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice:

2. Acknowledge

The Basics

As a great starting point to familiarize yourself with some key conceptual definitions in anti-racist education, start by completing the excellent “Basics” module created by the Calgary Anti-Racism Education.

Implicit Bias

To gain a better understanding of implicit bias and how it may impact our work in the classroom, the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity provides this tool. Please complete Module One. Click here to begin: Implicit Bias Training

White Privilege and Microaggressions

You’ve already seen how learning about Whiteness and White privilege are a part of becoming an anti-racist educator. To continue this learning, take a look at the following resources:

• Peggy McIntosh’s classic essay about White privilege is still a great starting point: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
• Learn about microaggressions from the Student Diversity Initiative and Indigenous Initiatives at the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at UBC.
• A succinct two-page resource categorizes examples of microaggressions into themes and their messages adapted from D.W. Sue (2010).

3. Allyship

• Creating a Safe space for dialogue on anti-racism by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.
• As GTAs you may witness racism or other forms of discrimination among your students. Part of being a good ally means learning how to act when you witness harassment of anyone due to their race, sex, religion, color, gender, size, orientation, disability, age, or origin. This resource by the Hollaback movement provides an effective strategy for bystanders, using what they call the 5 Ds of Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct. 
• For more resources on how to be an ally, with a focus on being an ally in the fight against anti-asian racism, the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto has compiled an amazing list. 

Resources for BIPOC

Conversations about race and racism can be exhausting for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and all People of Colour) folks who are often burdened with the task of educating white people. In recognition of this, here are a few resources focused on helping BIPOC with self-care.

• Resources for self-care for BIPOC and non-binary folks created by the Unplug Collective
• Racial stress Tool-kit 
• Listen to this podcast from the Black Visions Collective about sustaining yourself when confronting violence. 

4. Act and deepen understanding

More Resources

While the information presented above should provide a solid starting point for all those journeying towards becoming an anti-racist/anti-oppression educator, there are many more resources available. Here are a few that have been useful in the creating of this module:

• A well-organized and curated list of conceptual and practical resources by Racial Equity Tools.
• University websites offering higher education-oriented resources for educators:
  • Queens University
  • University of British Columbia
  •  University of Guelph

References