Ten ways that you could develop confidence to address racism

Dr Louise Taylor (Bunce), Principal Lecturer Student Experience, Oxford Brookes University
Louise.E.Taylor@brookes.ac.uk

Please note: This post is written from my perspective as a white woman, who was born and lives in the UK.

There has been an extraordinary level of media coverage over the last year of issues relating to race and racism, both in the UK and the USA. This reflects the heightened level of awareness and outrage that many of us have had, and continue to have, over the mistreatment of Black* people and the disadvantages they face in a predominantly white society. From the unnecessary death of George Floyd caused by police officers, to the disproportionate impact of Covid-19, to the royal racism scandal, Black people continue to be underserved and discriminated against by our inherently racist social structures and institutions.

Despite this, there is comparatively less written about how we might start to change our attitudes and behaviour in order to redress these imbalances and inequalities. Drawing on the principles of self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), I argue that becoming anti-racist can happen most effectively when we experience fulfilment of three psychological needs. First, you need to do this of your own volition and not because someone else is telling you to do it; you need to be true to yourself and for this to reflect an authentic commitment to anti-racism (this is the psychological need for autonomy). Second, find others around you who will support you in becoming anti-racist, and who may be seeking to become anti-racist themselves (relatedness). Third, you need to feel a sense of mastery or belief in your ability to become anti-racist (competence).

To support the latter, I have summarised ten things below that you could do to increase your knowledge of issues around race and racism and develop the confidence to address it. Further details can be found at www.brookes.ac.uk/SIIP. These are all based on things that I have done over the last few years in my attempt to become anti-racist. Although you can’t become anti-racist overnight, change needs to start now, so what can you do today?

• Discover what you weren’t taught in school: There are some excellent documentaries and texts about racism in British history including colonisation, the slave trade, and the Windrush generation. The book by Reni Eddo-Lodge (2017) titled ‘Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race’ provides a brief introduction.

• Diversify your bookshelf: Seek out novels written by authors who are from a different ethnic background to you, or authors who are writing about people from different cultures to your own. I started with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus.  

• Check your understanding of racism and its consequences: If you like reading, read a copy of Afua Hirsch’s Brit(ish) (2018). If you prefer listening, check out some podcasts at www.theantiracisteducator.com/listening

• Empathise with people’s personal stories of lived experience of racism: There are several such stories on YouTube, e.g., No. You Cannot Touch My Hair! | Mena Fombo, and Everyday Struggle: Switching Codes for Survival | Harold Wallace III

•  Diversify your social media feeds and screen time: Follow some groups who advocate for Black rights or individuals who campaign for equality, e.g., Black Lives Matter @BlkLivesMatter or Dr Ibram X. Kendi @DrIbram. Seek out programs or films that feature different cultures to your own, or consider racism, e.g., the film ‘Loving’. A list of dramas can be found here, courtesy of The Oprah Magazine.

• Travel (after the coronavirus pandemic): Travelling to countries with different cultures to our own broadens our perspective and can increase our acceptance of difference. If you can’t travel, then travel documentaries and books can provide a good alternative.

• Be inspired by biographies of those who have fought to overcome racial discrimination: Examples include Michelle Obama - Becoming (2018), and Malala Yousafzai - I am Malala (2014).  

• Reflect: Reflect on what equality means to you. Were you taught to treat everyone equally? Does that necessarily lead to equal outcomes? What stereotypes or assumptions do you make if you see a Black person? If you are white, consider whether you have experienced White Fragility by watching this 5 minute video explainer by Robin DiAngelo

• Check your language: ‘Where are you from?’ is a question that we might ask someone who looks different from us, usually out of friendly curiosity. But to the receiver, the frequency of it can contribute to feeling different and not belonging, so resist the temptation to ask it.

• Change your attitudes and your behaviour will follow: You may have been brought up to be colour blind, but seeing skin colour is a vital first step in becoming anti-racist because individuals need different levels of support to achieve the same quality of life. By challenging stereotypes about Black people, you can start to reduce the racism that Black people suffer in our society.   

*I use the term ‘Black’ as an inclusive term to refer to people who experience racism on the basis of their skin colour in societies where the majority of people are white.