Beyond the Hashtags – Anti-racism in Our Everyday
The International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a day of solidarity with all people fighting to resist racial oppression. Set on the 21st of March, the observance commemorates the same day in 1960, when South African police opened fire on peaceful protesters in Sharpesville who were demonstrating against apartheid pass laws.
These ‘pass laws’ were internal passports, designed to segregate the population, suppress efforts to organise against the apartheid regime, and effectively worked to control the mobility and labour of people of colour by restricting them to work the land – for the benefit of white land-owners.
It would take another 26 years of resistance and solidarity before the law was repealed.
As we approach this year’s International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the racism in our society may be less apparent to the naked eye, but its consequences are still devastating. It takes actively investigating, listening and uncomfortable conversations to unveil it and tackle it head on. As we are seeing last summer’s twitter flurry of BlackLivesMatter hashtags quieten down, now is a time for reflecting on how our displays of solidarity have translated into action, and what we will do next.
From protest to policy
“Revolution is not a one-time event.” – Audre Lorde
The Scottish Government received over one thousand correspondences last summer, calling for anti-racist education and decolonising of the curriculum. Since then, a large working group of stakeholders has been set up to look at this in practice, of which the EIS is a member. We continue to advocate for the perspectives and rights of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic members, and for practical changes that will see anti-racism meaningfully and supportively embedded in all educational establishments. The EIS’ own Briefing on Anti-Racist Education gives helpful guidance on how to instil anti-racism in our workplaces and our teaching practice.
The sharpened focus on anti-racist education has certainly helped move the conversation on in the policy landscape. The tide is changing, slowly, but our efforts cannot be left solely to decision-makers at the top – we all have a responsibility to show solidarity and make change in our own lives and local areas.
Learning for change
Last year, on social media, in webinars, learning events, and in online actions – displays of solidarity for those resisting racism dominated both our headlines and our own home-screens. The EIS saw an opportunity in the heightened awareness and interest from members, to ramp up our own anti-racist activity and provide support to members who wanted to take action.
“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be an anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.” – Ijeoma Oluo
The first step to informed action is awareness. As part of the EIS Anti-racist Strategy 2020-2021, a series of learning activities were delivered to raise awareness and mobilise our members for anti-racism both in the classroom, and beyond. Two all-member webinars discussed how Black Lives Matter in Education and reflected on the role of white allyship in the anti-racism cause. Recordings of these can be found at the EIS website.
A further series of anti-racist leadership learning sessions were developed in collaboration with the Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE) with funding by Scottish Union Learning. These learning sessions were offered to both trade union (Equality Reps, School Reps and Local Association Secretaries) and education leaders (Headteachers and Depute Headteachers).
Due to the developing situation in relation to school closures, online learning, and related member issues, many interested members were unable to attend the ‘live’ sessions. Therefore, a new page was added to the EIS website with pre-recorded content, to allow further dissemination of learning. On this page you will find learning material developed from these live sessions with members, including powerful poetry performances from writer and poet Hannah Lavery, and video-based learning content from SAMEE trainers Khadija Mohammed and Yasmeen Hussain. This material provides an important foundation for members looking to expand their knowledge and understanding of racism as it relates to the workplace and education sector, and the experiences for BAME members.
It is not the role of a union to instruct or direct its members to undertake any specific training or learning opportunity. But a union is its members, and if we all commit to both personal and professional development on anti-racism, together, we become a movement for change.
Solidarity through anti-racist action
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” – James Baldwin
So, this year, 61 years since Sharpesville, action for anti-racism may look quite different. Whilst we still must take to the streets, we must also echo our calls in the way we negotiate for workplace rights, teach our classes, and challenge our own biases.
As a result of the conversations with participants during the course of our anti-racist leadership activities, the EIS has developed bespoke guidance for Equality Reps, Trade Union Reps and Local Association Secretaries – including template action plans and suggested items for enquiry, facilitating conversation and organising for anti-racism at work. The resource also includes a glossary and possible items to add to your bargaining agenda.
This written resource provides practical guidance to support you in acting for anti-racism and supporting a local antiracist action plan. Versions for education leadership and BAME educators are forthcoming, but in the meantime, the EIS invites member feedback to improve and adapt the existing resource.
Through continuously challenging ourselves and others, we put our solidarity into action and honour the struggles of those that have gone before us in the pursuit of race equality.