The
Project
DARE
to CHANGE THE WORLD
EDUCATION
To eradicate a global epidemic, one must first try to understand it.
Even while it may seem like an impossible task, when it comes to racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry, it is a necessary one if we are to be successful in the fight against hate.
Psychologists and sociologists have been trying to understand the psychology behind this type of hate for decades. While no singular cause has been identified, most theorists agree that there are consistent factors that may help to explain the epistemology of racism.
In his quest to understand and fight bigotry, psychologist Abraham Maslow urged,
“Learn to hate meanness. Watch out for anybody who is mean or cruel. Watch out for people who delight in destruction.”
We each have an active role to play in working against oppression - and towards acceptance and equity - and in finding ways to elevate historically and systemically marginalized groups. Education is key to effectively defeating systemic racism and discrimination.
There is a whole host of wonderful anti-racism and anti-discrimination information and tools out there. I have assembled a number of them here on this site.
Check out the pull-down menu.
Oppression:
Unjust treatment that disadvantages certain groups.
There are many different forms of oppression: sexism, racism, homophobia, and economic oppression, just to name a few. Systems of oppression are the structures within society that allow unjust treatment to continue and perpetuate the inequalities that have plagued our society for centuries.
On the subject of public dialogue and education
Social advocate and writer Kimberly Blaker stresses the importance of teaching children about diversity from a young age:
“Unfortunately, prejudice beliefs often stem from the home. So advocates, teachers, and communities must take up the cause in teaching children to value diversity. It isn’t going to change overnight, but the more we fight against it and teach acceptance of others, the sooner people of all races and religions can live in peace with one another.”
More public dialogue among adults regarding racism and other forms of bigotry is also needed. Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson, a professor in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of San Francisco, notes:
“In order to fight this epidemic, we must engage faith-based communities, colleges and universities, nonprofits, and law enforcement. It will take the intersection of allies, thought leaders and the like to eradicate racism on a global level. But even more important is the continued attention to the problem.”
Loma K. Flowers, M.D. of nonprofit EQDynamics, suggests talking with people who hold different ideas, asking them to explain why they feel this way, which will lead to their explaining their thinking—or the absence of it.
“Your job is not to convert them, but to listen to them and ask about contradictions in their thinking or errors in facts. Such calm conversations build relationships and teach tolerance. They can also encourage people to examine ideas they have swallowed whole without ever chewing them over.”
We should learn about racism
Blocking discussions about racism fans the flames of prejudice
Imagine you are responsible for extinguishing a fire but cannot use water. And you will begin to see the irony of White students committing hate crimes in a society that often prevents them from learning about racism. Just as water is the most reliable resource one could use when homes and businesses are set ablaze, education is the best remedy to dampen the blaze of racial prejudice.
Regardless of how many parents feel about their children, students do not have a clean slate when it comes to racial attitudes. Indeed, they develop racial preferences in early childhood. If they are not taught about the role race plays in people’s lives, White children will be more likely to develop negative attitudes based on societal cues that, over time, can harden into full-blown racist attitudes. And Black children are negatively impacted as a result. According to research published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, “addressing harmful stereotyping of Indigenous and Black cultures is necessary” to mitigate poorer health outcomes and social conditions later in life.
Definition of Racial Discrimination
United Nations Association of Canada
“Any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.”
Understanding the Scope of Racism
There are different kinds of racism.
It is important to understand that one cannot effectively deal with racism until one looks at all the underlying causes and takes steps
to correct them.
Graphic from Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan (MCoS) website
From Many Peoples, Strength
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW TO FIGHT IT
Systemic or institutional racism manifests itself in many ways.
Consider the following statements and how each relates to - or not - your own power, privilege and position:
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Mainstream media routinely depict people of my race in a wide range of roles.
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Children in my racial group do not need to be educated about systematic
racism for their daily physical safety. -
Not needing to worry about being denied a role or position because I did not
“look the part.” -
I can take a job without people thinking I was hired only because of my race.
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I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
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I can go shopping without concern that store employees will monitor me
because of my race. -
Having government representatives that look like me.
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I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.
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I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
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Feeling like the color “nude” applied to my skin tone.
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Being able to interact with law enforcement without fear of profiling.
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I learned about my race in school, and it was accurately represented in history textbooks.
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I can play the ‘colorblind card.’
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I am never asked, “Where do you really come from?”
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Never having my citizenship status questioned.
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Never having someone question my English abilities without reason.
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I never have to wonder whether my significant other is with me solely because of race.
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Being able to shop in the main aisles of a store rather than the smaller “ethnic” sections.
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Seeing musical artists that look like me supported by the media.
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I feel represented by the leaders in my art department.
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Having teachers and mentors who have similar life experiences.
Source: Huang, J; Tseggay, S.; Considine, C. ALLYSHIP TOOLKIT, Guidelines to Teaching an Effective Workshop.
Rice Allyship Movement, 2019
Understanding the Nature of Racism
Race
A specious classification of human beings created by White Europeans that assigns human worth and social status using “White” as the model of humanity and the height of human achievement for the purpose of establishing and maintaining privilege and power.
Racism
Race prejudice plus power.
Power
Having legitimate access to systems sanctioned by the authority of the state.
Source: Chisom, R.; Washington, M. Undoing Racism: A Philosophy of International Social Change. People’s Institute Press.
People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. New Orleans, LA:
People's Institute Press, 1997
In his book The Skin We're In, Desmond Cole adds:
White supremacy is a global phenomenon, and has been used to justify European imperialist conquest and exploitation in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.
White power works in concert with other forms of power including:
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capitalism (the dominance of private profit over public benefit);
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ableism (the dominance of people deemed able-bodied);
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cisnormativity (the dominance of people who fit a strict male-female gender binary);
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patriarchy (the dominance of men); and
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heteronormativity (the dominance of people who, based on the gender binary, only accept heterosexuality as normal)
to create a “dominator culture.”
Racism Statistics in Canada
Canada is often regarded as an example nation for equal rights, including that between races. Everyone in the country is expected to have the same rights and opportunities in all areas of society, including employment, education, the justice system, and healthcare.
But, is that working in reality or do people from, for example, black or Asian communities still experience discrimination based on race or skin colour in Canada?
Read more about some key statistics on what racism looks like in Canada
Ten Lessons for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racial Justice
As we strive to improve conversations about race, racism, and racial justice in this country, the environment in which we’re speaking seems to be constantly shifting, which shows that these conversations are more important than ever.
We’ve put together some advice on finding entry points based on research, experience, and the input of partners from around the country. This is by no means a complete list, but it is a starting point for moving these discussions forward.
Please note that while there are many reasons to communicate with various audiences about racial justice issues, this article focuses on messaging with the primary goal of persuading them toward action. There are many times when people need to communicate their anger, frustration, and pain to the world and to speak truth to power. Doing so may not always be persuasive, but that obviously doesn’t make it any less important.
Since we’re considering persuasion a priority goal in this section, please consider the following advice through that lens.
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Lead with shared values: Justice, Opportunity, Community, Equity
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Use values as a bridge, not a bypass.
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Know the counter narratives.
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Talk about the systemic obstacles to equal opportunity and equal justice.
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Be rigorously solution-oriented and forward-looking.
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Consider audience and goals.
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Be explicit about the intertwined relationship between racism and economic opportunity and the reverberating consequences.
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Describe how racial bias and discrimination hold us all back.
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Listen to and center the voices of BIPOC.
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Embrace and communicate our racial and ethnic diversity while decentering whiteness as a lens and central frame.
Applying the Lessons
VPSA: Value, Problem, Solution, Action
One useful approach to tying these lessons together is to structure communications around Value, Problem, Solution, and Action, meaning that each message contains these four key components:
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Values: why the audience should care, and how they will connect the issue to themselves
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Problem: framed as a threat to the shared values we have just invoked
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Solution: stating what you’re for
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Action: a concrete ask of the audience, to ensure engagement and movement
Excerpt from
Anti-Oppression in Early Education
Kindergarten to Grade 4 Curriculum
Together We Thrive is the first B.C. designed curriculum that offers intersectional social justice education in the early years. Literacy is the foundation of this curriculum. Eight timeless picture books anchor ready-to-teach lesson plans that address the intersectional nature of systemic oppression. Through storytelling, place based learning, and design thinking, teachers and students will grow together in their critical awareness and practice of equity.
Excerpt from
Crossroads Chronicles
Gaming anti-discrimination learning:
Developing skills for courageous conversations
Crossroads is a youth-made interactive visual novel that helps folks flex their anti-discrimination noticing, naming and responding muscles.
Crossroads follows four teenagers in a friend group who are discovering biases and gaps in knowledge in their daily lives and relationships: from anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism to classism, and transphobia. Players follow each character’s path, see different scenes play out in different ways, and cultivate their ‘Active Witnessing’ capacities in the process.
Grand Theft Terra Firma:
AN INTERESTING FRAMING OF OUR INDIGENOUS HISTORY
This creative website presents an interesting insight into our settler colonial history through the use of gaming, satire and humour to provide effective entry points into some difficult subject matter.
It's powerful, effective and impactful.
The gamification of local history presents an accessible entry point to the brutal historical truths that have shaped British Columbia's Fraser Valley as we know it today and provides a useful lens not only for students and educators (the site features a robust Educator Guide), but also for everyone who has the privilege to call this region home. Although the resource is historically specific to a one region of BC, the premise is germane to colonial histories across the country and beyond.
The Seven Sacred Teachings* that will go a long way to making for a better world.
An excerpt from the short film
Friendly Manitoba
from BU CARES Research and Film Project on Anti-racism: “REAL CHANGE”
The Brandon University Centre for Aboriginal and Rural Education Studies (BUCARES) was established in 2008. Its role is to promote and facilitate research activities that are of interest to rural, northern, and Indigenous communities, school divisions, and related organizations.
The “Real Change” film project was part of a research project in Manitoba, by Michelle Lam, Ph.D., Denise Humphreys, Akech Mayuom, and Stephanie Spence. The project seeks to explore topics such as perceptions towards diverse groups and ways in which people experience racism, bias, and discrimination.
* Also known as
The Seven Grandfathers Teachings
For more information, see also:
https://empoweringthespirit.ca/cultures-of-belonging/seven-grandfathers-teachings/
https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/blog/archive/the-seven-sacred-teachings.html
If we learn to live by these teachings, we can lead
the way to a better way of life:
The Buffalo teaches us the law of
Respect
Respect is to remember everything on Mother Earth is connected and important.
The Eagle teaches us the law of
Love
You must show love to all things on earth.
True unconditional love is expressed by showing kindness. Be kind to all things.
The Bear teaches us the law of
Courage
Having courage is to do the right thing even if it’s not the easy thing.
The Raven teaches us the law of
Honesty
Be someone who is trustworthy. Be genuine.
You must always say what you mean and mean what you say.
The Beaver teaches us the law of
Wisdom
Wisdom is understanding yourself and understanding the gifts that you share.
Everything on Mother Earth has purpose and has gifts and wisdom. Use it.
The Wolf teaches us the law of
Humility
The wolf says that having humility is knowing that everyone and everything on Mother Earth is created equally.
The Turtle teaches us about
Truth
Living with truth is to live with all of these teachings. Carry them in your heart and think of them at all times. They will guide you down the right path to being your true self.