In my study of the video ‘The School That Tried to End Racism’ I was shocked and saddened as the students slowly realised how the white privilege prevailed throughout the game. It was encouraging to see how the other children responded in a supportive and collaborative nature. It made me think more adults would benefit from these exercises in the workplace, too. We did do a racial bias test at Tate to show people that we are all unconsciously bias to a certain extent, as we naturally gravitate towards characteristics we recognise – it’s the brains way of simplifying the world for us.
If we analyse the film to critique it, it doesn’t necessarily show how to action a response, only to raise awareness and understanding of the children. However, it has a good implication for schools and raising a considerate next generation.
In the film ‘Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke.’ A white CIS male is presenting, which could be an issue of bias in itself. Arif Ahmed who he is interviewing says ‘Advance HE’ doesn’t have to follow the principals in his experience – it’s created an oppressive environment for free speech. He says you’d need to ‘Foster the collective understanding. Make changes to admissions process.’ In my view no one can complain about the abstract principles but whether they’re implemented is another matter. Ahmed argues that bias training doesn’t work as it’s forced onto staff to ‘own up’ to their bias. He also claims that anti racism training is pushing the line of white fragility onto people. He says Unis should be neutral. I agree with his observations but did find bias training important in my experience.
‘Students are rapidly becoming less tolerant of different viewpoints.’ (Revealed film)
An implicit bias lesson, in the film, is helping students to learn how to treat each other and learning and understanding each other’s point of view. One student says if ‘culturally competent and aware’ is what woke means then he identifies as this, happily.
The Government has proposed a legislation, Freedom of speech HE bill that will impose a duty to actively promote a culture of academic freedom.
There is no evidence at the moment they’re putting in place a framework culpable on the scale of diversity bureaucracy that’s in place.
As long as those bureaucracies are still in place; there is a real risk that they’ll have a corrosive impact on free open enquiring in the HE Sector.
The study on Sadiq, A. (2023) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right says that ‘8 billion is spent in the US on diversity training.’ However it’s not driving the change that we want to see.
Why? The training itself is biased and built with stereotypes and is not always diverse or inclusive. It therefore, often does the opposite of inclusive.
How do we truly embed change? In my practice on DPS and as a manager at Tate and Selfridges I try to make the changes that fit my anti racist values, from employing diverse staff and guest lecturers at UAL, to educating myself and reading books like ‘why I don’t talk to white people about race’ and continually striving to check my own bias. Readdressing how I teach and taking the training for neurodiversity but still remaining critical of how this is interpreted is important.
Be the change you want to see. Act where you can on pushing for positive change, I worked on colonisation with the learning and interpretation department and pushing forward these unheard stories in the Natural History Museum – for example Darwin is a white CIS male and we don’t always hear the darker backstories of how the ‘success stories’ negatively impacted on the global majority. I think there’s a shift, certainly in museums, towards researching and telling these important human, honest, if difficult, colonialist stories.
1. Sadiq, A. (2023) Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Learning how to get it right. [Publisher not stated in the text—you can add that if known].
2. Eddo-Lodge, R. (2017) Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
3. Channel 4 (2020) The School That Tried to End Racism [TV programme]. 25 June. Available at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-school-that-tried-to-end-racism [Accessed Day Month Year].
4. GB News (n.d.) Revealed: The Charity Turning UK Universities Woke [TV segment]. [Exact date and platform not provided—update this if known].
5. UK Government (2023) Freedom of Speech (Higher Education) Bill. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/higher-education-bill-to-protect-free-speech [Accessed Day Month Year].
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