This blog post is more of a sketch, a collection of thoughts, than a coherent blog post. We are discussing race, and I have many thoughts on this. Some of these reflections go back to before I started the IP unit, while others have emerged more recently, shaped by the readings, videos, and discussions I’ve encountered during the course.
I can’t believe that the UK Equality Act was passed only 15 years ago in 2010.
The Channel 4 programme The School That Tried to End Racism, I’ve known about it for a while, but the video always moves me to tears. Why? Because it involves children, and it so clearly illustrates how unfair our society can be. It lays bare the deep connections between racism, inequality, and unequal opportunities. Many people don’t understand that having good grades and working hard is not enough, especially if you are not white. Not everyone is given the same chance.
One reading that really surprised me was the article Is Race Still Relevant? Student perceptions and experiences of racism in higher education. It explores university students’ experiences and attitudes towards race and racism in England as of 2020 (ten years after the UK Equality Act). What stood out, both to me and the author, was the apparent lack of student engagement with racial equality issues. Was this indifference just a pre-Covid phenomenon or general apathy? I wonder how students would respond to the same questions today, in 2025. Or how would CSM students respond?
Then there’s Orr’s video commentary for The Telegraph, The Charity Turning UK Universities Woke (2022). It was surreal, but not in a good way. A white man questioning a diverse group of individuals from Cambridge University about Advance HE, a charity encouraging universities to embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and decolonisation. The tone was dismissive, framing “woke” as something to be criticised rather than understood and embraced.
A thought: unconscious bias and diversity courses work for some people, but not for all. Often, they are very corporate and include more prejudice than inclusiveness.
And this brings me to Sadiq and his TEDx talk Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Learning How to Get It Right.
There is a lot I like in this video. Some of the most memorable quotes or parts from it are:
Regarding school and history classes: They give you a perspective. Not the whole perspective, not different views, not different takes.
On being asked: What is the view of Muslims on something, being someone of faith? And I was like, Wow! You want me to give you a view of almost 2 billion people—me? How can I do that?
Everyone is an individual. Everyone has a unique identity. (this supports Crenshaw theory on Intersectionality)
And my favourite: Diversity is about bringing different perspectives, different lived experiences together, respecting our differences, and then working towards better goals.
Lastly, the resource I would like to recommend is the Face Race Handbook for Educators. FACE stands for Fashion and the Arts Creating Equity. You can find a free copy here:
https://www.weareface.uk/face-race-handbook.
References:
Crenshaw, K. Intersectionality, 1990. Accessed on 27 of April 2025 at https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/mod/folder/view.php?id=1386601
Sadiq, A. (2023) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right, TEDxCroydon, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw (Accessed: 05 July 2025).
Orr, J. (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke, The Telegraph, YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU (Accessed: 05 July 2025).
Heartbreaking Moment When Kids Learn About White Privilege | The School That Tried to End Racism, Channel 4 (2020) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg (Accessed: 05 July 2025).
Wong, B. et al. (2020) ‘Is race still relevant? student perceptions and experiences of racism in Higher Education’, Cambridge Journal of Education, 51(3), pp. 359–375. doi:10.1080/0305764x.2020.1831441.
FACE (2024) Face race handbook, FACE. Available at: https://www.weareface.uk/face-race-handbook (Accessed: 05 July 2025).
The FACE resource looks super interesting! I just started reading it but it looks already so much more complex and sophisticated that any of the UAL mandatory trainings. I think there is something about taking a stand and being specific that is really important. For example, being super clear about the difference between decolonisation and diversification. Or having that list of questions examining institutional racism. Even if you disagree, this gives you what to disagree with, and then you can have an actual discussion.
I agree with you, Andrea, the FACE resource clearly conveys what it stands for. Reflecting on my own post, I realise I may not have expressed my position clearly. I find it absolutely appalling, and sadly a reality, that a racial hierarchy exists, where some people are seen as “better” than others simply because of their race.