Anti-racism practices in education: A reflection from anzuk’s book club

Over the last few months, anzuk has begun an integral process of evaluating our company values and diversity initiatives. We started with an internal book club focused on Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. Eddo-Lodge is a renown author and journalist living in London. Below is a reflection from Angeline, a consultant on the NW team, who is super passionate about the process of increasing discussions and action on anti-racism practices in education. Angeline began her journey at looking at the racist structures in education in 2011 when she joined Teach for American and in her 9 years of teaching was always looking to find better ways to be an anti-racist and inclusive teacher. She notes that as a white woman she has a position of privilege, and she is not always 100% correct in her practices but she is always aiming to grow and develop in being a true ally.

In Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge, Eddo Lodge writes:

“In a conversation about structural racism, a friend of mine once made a point that was both glaringly obvious and painfully elusive. Structures, she said, are made out of people. When we talk about structural racism, we are talking about the intensification of personal prejudices, of groupthink.”

This really struck me-I feel as if I have always known that structural discriminations were very much alive and needed to be combatted, yet this made it all the more real for me. This made me realize structural racism was not an obtuse system-it could be any number of people or norms I was working with and in. It forced me to think about the caring, relationship-driven community that I love to work in- What ways are we uplifting these structural issues? Eddo Lodge goes on to note that “we should seize it as an opportunity to move towards a collective responsibility for a better society, taking account of the internal hierarchies and intersections along the way.”

At anzuk, we have started a few initiatives to do just that with internal sessions on diversity and inclusiveness. Our first few sessions were a book club and discussions on Eddo-Lodge’s book. The aim of these sessions is to educate ourselves and reflect on our experiences with racism and other -ism’s that we face. With the reading of Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race, we started with exploring racism in particular.

As an immigrant from the US surrounded with Australians, Kiwis, and a sprinkle of English, Welsh, South Africans and more, these conversations were and are important to be having. There is no denying that our internal staff is predominantly white, and many of us have little historical context on the UK systems. Talking about race with our company make up can be awkward and uncomfortable-many stray away from it because of this. Yet, many critical thinkers will point out that the true work to combat and talk about racism falls on the people within the majority. It is our systems that are at the roots of the problem and until we face that there will never be the needed change. The book was a poignant pick that allowed colleagues to share about their new insights, experiences of racism, and a desire to act. It encouraged examining and rebuilding our historical context of the slave trade, police brutality, and segregation in the UK. It encouraged sharing and discussing resources to deepen our learning about microaggressions, white privileges, and equality vs. equity definitions.

There is much work to be done in tackling racism-especially in the education system. We have started with the first steps of self-education and reflection-coming together in hope to expose issues, develop resources, and build connections of allyship. Our work does not end here. On the horizon, we have monthly sessions to continue the conversations and resource sharing, a learning module launch for educators and internal staff, and a podcast with the founder of the Black Curriculum. Eddo concludes in her book that “It’s on your shoulders and mine to dismantle what we once accepted to be true.” I am looking forward to the continuation of this journey-dismantling and rebuilding. If you are interested in joining our conversations or providing resources, please do reach out.