Show Racism The Red Card: Multicultural and Antiracist Education

Show
racism
the red
card
Multicultural
and antiracist
education
BC Teachers’ Federation bctf.ca

PepeMonteiro/Thinkstock
The antiracism action group of the BCTF’s Committee on Action for Social Justice has
received permission to adapt the initiative from the UK: Show Racism the Red Card, an
antiracism educational charity that was established in January 1996. The organization utilizes
the high-profile status of professional soccer players to help tackle racism in society. The
majority of the campaign’s output is the delivery of education to students in schools. The
BCTF wishes to acknowledge and thank the Show Racism the Red Card organization for
their willingness to share their ideas and resources.
This lesson aid has 4 parts to it.
Part 1 contains background information for teachers to help orient them to working with
the potentially controversial topics of racism, multiculturalism, and prejudice.
Part 2 contains lesson plans for K-12 students.
Part 3 references 2013 and proposed (2014) curriculum learning

outcomes and competencies.
Part 4 provides an extensive bibliography for further reading and research.
Photo credits: ©Thinkstock (except where noted)

thongseedary/Thinkstock
Part 1
information
Background BananaStock/Thinkstock
Barry Austin/Thinkstock
2 Show racism the red card
Race is a social construct with no biological meaning.

There are no different races; the genes that code for skin
colour are just a handful of 20,000 and are not connected
to the genes that code for other traits. Despite this, the
perception that race does exist is widespread and this has
very real outcomes in society.
Defining and describing
Multiculturalism education
Multiculturalism education stresses the promotion of understanding, respect, and
acceptance of cultural diversity within our society.
Multicultural education involves:
• recognizing that everyone belongs to a cultural group.
• accepting and appreciating cultural diversity as a positive feature of our society.
• affirming that all ethnocultural groups are equal within our society.
• understanding that multiculturalism education is for all students.
• recognizing that similarities across cultures are much greater than differences and that
cultural pluralism is a positive aspect in our society.
• affirming and enhancing self-esteem through pride in heritage, and providing
opportunities for individuals to appreciate the cultural heritage of others.
• promoting cross-cultural understanding, citizenship, and racial harmony.
Antiracist education
Antiracism education promotes the elimination of racism through identifying and changing
institutional policies and practices as well as identifying individual attitudes and behaviours
that contribute to racism.
Antiracism education involves:
• proposing the need to reflect on one’s own attitudes about race and antiracism.
• understanding what causes racism in order to achieve equality.
• identifying and addressing racism at both the personal and institutional level.
• acknowledging the need to take individual responsibility for eliminating racism.
• working toward removing systemic barriers that marginalize groups of people.
• providing opportunities for individuals to take action to eliminate all forms of racism,
including stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.
Value of integrating multiculturalism and antiracism education

Multiculturalism and antiracism education provides learning experiences that promote
strength through diversity and social, economic, political, and cultural equity.
Multiculturalism and antiracism education gives students learning experiences that are
intended to enhance their social, emotional, aesthetic, artistic, physical, and intellectual
development. It provides learners with the tools of social literacy and skills for effective
cross-cultural interaction with diverse cultures. It also recognizes the importance of
collaboration between students, parents, educators, and communities working toward
social justice in the education system.
The key goals of multicultural and antiracist education are:

• to enhance understanding of and respect for cultural diversity
• to increase creative intercultural communication in a pluralistic society
• to provide equal opportunities for educational achievement by all learners, regardless of
culture, national origin, religion, or social class
• to develop self-worth, respect for oneself and others, and social responsibility
• to combat and eliminate stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and other forms of
racism
• to include the experiences of all students in school curricula
Racism:
• historically arises from the belief that races are hierarchically ordered based on skin
colour, usually with the “whitest” race at the top.
• manifests itself as processes and acts which disadvantage or discriminate against
ethnically minoritized peoples.
• evokes images of extreme right-winged marches and violent attacks. Because of this
perception, people are often very defensive when it comes to any suggestion that they
may be acting in a racist way.
• is complex. It is constantly changing, and is an entrenched part of mainstream society.
• is institutionalized if it occurs when policies and practices of an organization unfairly
discriminate against ethnically marginalized groups.
• can even be the result of well-intentioned acts if they have racist outcomes.
• is in all of us as we live in a world replete with racism (Tomlinson, 2008).
Teachers:
• can affect the performance of their students through their expectations of their abilities
(Richardson, 2005; Riley, 2005).
• bring a set of cultural norms and practices into the classroom, which influences their
conscious and subconscious behavior and attitudes (Ross, 2002).
• need to be comfortable discussing issues of race and racism and not be defensive about
their own prejudices.
• should recognize racism between students remains widespread in schools and it is a
regular fact of life for many from minoritized backgrounds (Richardson & Miles, 2008).
• who are open and confident about addressing the issues will find students feel able to
raise their concerns with those in a position of authority.
• who are “colour-blind” and treat all students equally as part of inclusive education deny
the reality of students’ lived experiences, their ethnic differences, and even their self-
identification. Non-acknowledgement silences individual voices.
• who take time to explore issues of race and racism in a safe space where all feel
respected and engaged in courageous conversations help to remove fears and equip
students with knowledge and tools to feel confident in dealing with issues of racism and
equality.
• do not need to have all the answers. They just need to be open to having the
conversations.
There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that curriculum, resources,

school boundaries, administrative policies, ministerial and municipal policies, and teacher
education programs contribute to lower outcomes for minoritized students and groups
(Singleton & Linton 2006). Using a specific example, evidence suggests that Aboriginal
students have been disciplined more frequently, more harshly, and for less serious
misbehavior. They are less likely to be praised than other students, even from early in
their education (Riley, 2005).
Gaine states that “colour remains a critical distorting and dangerous signifier of difference
and inequality and may be more prevalent in more homogenized areas”(2005, p. 4). In
areas with little diversity, people often have increased levels of “learned misinformation”
(Gaine, 2005) about minoritized peoples, which can lead to prejudice and stereotyping.
In schools with few students from minoritized backgrounds, teachers may not encounter
daily incidents of racist behavior. Because of this, it may appear that racism does not exist
among young people. Thus, promoting race equality and countering racism can often be
incorrectly dismissed as irrelevant.
A note about language

The terminology used when discussing these issues is complex and no term is without its
problems. Racial boundaries are drawn up on the basis of physical signifiers. However, one
concern when using the term “race” is the potential to reinforce the misconception that
there are different races. When people are collecting data on ethnicity they use a mixture
of signifier markers: physical; (e.g. “black”), national (e.g. “Canadian”), religious; (e.g.
“Muslim”), and geo-political (e.g. “French-Canadian” and “Aboriginal”) to differentiate
between groups. Some terminology has fallen into disuse either because it was challenged
as archaic, insufficient, or derogatory, associated with a negative stereotype, a historical
or implicit value system, or hierarchy. No definition is likely to fully describe the complex
and subtle factors that contribute to the identity of an individual. Having knowledge of
more accurate terminology to use is vital, though it is important not to fall into the trap of
spending too long discussing it so that it ends up as the focus or an exercise in semantics.
However, in this document we use the following terms to refer to people in
Canada who are most likely to experience racism: ethnically minoritized, and
ethnically marginalized.

As of 2013, in British Columbia, only 4 out of 60 school districts have policies in
place that clearly address antiracism. Other school districts may use terms such as
“antidiscrimination,” “diversity,” “race relations,” “racial harmony,” and “multiculturalism”;
however, this masks and diminishes the reality of oppression and ignores power relations
at all levels based on the social construct of race.
GUIDELINES WHEN CHALLENGING RACISM
1. Challenge the discriminatory attitudes and behaviour, rather than

the person.
Ignoring issues won’t make them go away and silence sends the message that you
are in agreement with such attitudes and behaviours. Make it clear that you will not
tolerate racist, ethnic, religious or cultural jokes or slurs, or any actions that demean
any person or group.
2. Expect tension and conflict and learn to manage it. 

Sensitive and deep-rooted issues are unlikely to change without some struggle and in
some situations, conflict is unavoidable. Tension and conflict, if harnessed correctly,

can be positive forces that foster growth.
3. Be aware of your own attitudes, stereotypes, and expectations.

Be open to the limitations your own attitudes and expectations can place on your
perspective. Be honest about your own prejudices and biases. It is important not
to get defensive when discriminatory attitudes or behaviours are brought to your
attention.
4. Actively listen to and learn from others’ experiences.

Don’t minimize, trivialize or deny other people’s concerns and feelings.
5. Use language and behaviour that is non-biased and inclusive.  

Modelling an inclusive way of being is important when educating young people, and the
words we choose to use, even in a light-hearted manner, give loud messages to what
we feel is acceptable or otherwise.
6. Provide accurate information to challenge stereotypes and biases.

Take responsibility for educating yourself about your own and other people’s cultures.
Don’t expect people from different backgrounds to always educate you about their
culture or history, or to explain racism to you. You will then be able to confront
prejudice with more confidence and with the view to re-educating others.
7. Acknowledge diversity and avoid stereotypical thinking.

Don’t ignore or pretend not to see our rich differences. Acknowledging obvious
differences is not the problem, but placing negative value judgments on those
differences is! Stereotypes about those differences are hurtful because they
generalize, limit, and deny people’s full potential.
8. Be aware of your own hesitancies.

Acknowledge that it is not always easy to intervene, but if you can confront your own
fears it will become easier.
9. Project a feeling of understanding, respect, and support.

When confronting individuals, firmly address the behaviour or attitude while
supporting the dignity of the person.
10. Establish standards of responsibility and behaviour working collectively

with others.
Hold yourself and others accountable. Demonstrate your personal and organizational
commitment in practice, both formally and informally. Maintain high expectations of
all people and be a role model and reflect antibias multicultural values in all aspects of
your life.
BananaStock/Thinkstock KS photo
Part 2
Activities/
lesson ideas
Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock
Teachers are encouraged to adapt the following activities

to suit the needs of their own classes and students.
Most lesson ideas were adapted from:
Show Racism the Red Card (www.theredcard.org)
Activity 1: Exploring prejudice and stereotypes

for Elementary students:
(Primary to Low Intermediate)
Main aims:
• To illustrate that we all carry subconscious prejudices and to raise participants
self-awareness.
• To demonstrate how we often make assumptions based on stereotypes, misinformation
and generalisations.
• To encourage/initiate open, honest discussion about prejudices and stereotypes.
The Witches of Glum

Reprinted with the kind permission of Glasstap
www.trainerslibrary.com
Timing: 30 minutes
Notes to the teacher:

This activity is useful to undertake prior to any work on the subject of prejudice and
discrimination and can be set up as an icebreaker at the beginning of a session. Teachers
will read out a fairy tale after which students will be asked to answer some questions.
Inform students that this activity is a good test of their listening skills. Ask the questions
orally to students who are prereaders. For students who can read hand out the statement
sheets individually or in pairs. The students need to use the information that they heard in
the story to answer whether the statement is true or false.
After they have answered true or false to a statement, review the correct answers and
ask the students such questions as: Why do we assume Groga is wicked? Where in the
story does it say she is? It does say she is ugly, so do we assume wickedness based on
people’s looks? Is this why we assume Christina is beautiful? It doesn’t say she is in the
story. It does say she is popular, happy, and willing to help others. Why do we think the
stranger is someone who deserves a reward for killing a witch who we only know is
disfigured? Have the conversation that the students made all kinds of assumptions about
the people in the story based on very little information—so they used stereotyping to fill
in the missing details of the story. What happens when we rely on stereotypes to inform
ourselves about others?
The story
Once upon a time, there was a great city called Glum that stood beside a lake in the
kingdom of Bung. In the centre of the city was a castle, where the king lived with his only
daughter, Christina. The king could no longer walk, but he was often seen being pushed
around the city in a white wheelchair by his servants. Christina was a popular princess -
happy and always willing to help others. The people of Bung often commented that she
would make a good queen.
IstvA!n CsA!k/Thinkstock
Now it so happened that as well as the king, his daughter and his subjects, there lived
in the Kingdom of Bung two witches. Groga, a disfigured witch, lived on the other side
of the lake in a dark, damp cave. Gwendolyn, a beautiful witch who wore a gown that
sparkled with the light of a thousand crystals, lived in a house to the west.
On the tenth anniversary of Groga’s arrival, the king was wheeled onto his balcony, where
he addressed those gathered below.
“Who will rid the kingdom of my arch enemy, Groga?” he asked. “Many brave men have
ventured forth on this mission before, but none of those sent have returned. Do any of
you have the courage to complete this deed?”
The crowd included knights from all the surrounding lands; their proud horses neighed
at the ruler’s words. But only one in the crowd spoke out—a stranger who had
arrived the day before.
“I will kill her,” said the stranger, “in return for your crown.”
The king replied: “That is too much to ask, but I will give you half of all the gold in the
city treasury if you rid the kingdom of her.”
The stranger accepted the offer, and went to see the beautiful Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn
was impressed by the stranger’s boldness, and she agreed to help in return for a share
of the king’s gold. She went into another room, where she mixed a strange potion.
This she poured into a small green bottle.
“This will give you the strength of ten men,” she said, handing the potion to the
stranger.
The stranger travelled from Gwendolyn’s house to the dark caverns on the opposite
side of the lake, where Groga, who had seen her fate in a crystal ball, was waiting.
“So, you have come, as many men before you have,” she said, “seeking the king’s
favour?”
They fought for many hours but Groga was no match for her enemy. Eventually, tried
and exhausted, she agreed to leave the kingdom forever. The stranger returned to the
city to claim the promised rewards.
The end
The statements—true or false

1. The city was ruled by an old King, who could no longer walk.
2. Christina is a beautiful princess.
3. Groga was a wicked witch, who lived in a cave on the other side of the lake.
4. The stranger was a knight from far away.
5. The stranger wanted to be made King in return for killing Groga.
6. The king offered the stranger a great fortune.
7. A good witch lived to the west of the city.
8. The stranger agreed to give Gwendolyn half of the reward if she helped.
9. Gwendolyn mixed a potion, which she poured into a green bottle.
10. The stranger rode from Gwendolyn’s house to Groga’s cave.
11. Groga had killed many men before.
12. Groga’s magic was no match for the stranger’s strength.
13. Everyone loved the stranger for killing Groga.
The answers:
1. The city was ruled by an old King, who could no longer walk.
False: We are not told the King’s age. Those who said he was old were probably
making an assumption based on the fact he “could no longer walk.”
2. Princess Christina was very beautiful.

False: Princess Christina was “popular.” She was also happy and willing to help
others. But nowhere does it say she is beautiful.
3. Gorga was a wicked witch, who lived

in a cave on the other side of the lake.
False: At no point are we told that
Gorga is wicked. Participants may have
assumed she was wicked because she was
perysty/Thinkstock
disfigured and lived in a dark cave.

4. The stranger was a knight from far away.

False: The crowd “included knights.” We don’t know that the stranger was one.
5. The stranger wanted to be made king in return for killing Gorga.

False: We don’t know if the stranger is even a man, so we don’t know if he/she
would be a king or a queen. Anyway, the stranger only asks for the crown—and
doesn’t specifically state she or he wants a title, or even power. For all we know the
stranger may have wanted to sell the crown on eBay!
6. The king offered the stranger a great fortune instead.

False: The king offers the stranger half of all the gold in treasury. We aren’t told how
much Gold is there—maybe none!
7. A good witch lived to the west of the city.

False: We are not told Gwendolyn is good—only that she is beautiful and wore a
sparkly gown!
8. The stranger agreed to give Gwendolyn half of the gold if she helped.
False: She or he agreed to give her a “share.” We are not told what the share is. And
of course we don’t know the stranger is a “he.”
9. Gwendolyn mixed a potion, which she poured into a green bottle.

True
10. The stranger rode from Gwendolyn’s house to Gorga’s cave.

False: We don’t know the stranger rode. The story says “travelled.”
11. Gorga had killed many men before.

False: We don’t know whether Gorga had killed anyone before. All we know is that
those sent to kill her had not returned. Perhaps they had a change of heart and left
the kingdom?
12. Gorga’s magic was no match for the stranger.

False: We are not told that Gorga used magic.
13. Everyone loved the stranger for killing Groga.

False: We don’t know how people reacted to her or him. All we know is that the
stranger returned to the city to claim the reward that was promised.
Mike Watson Images/Thinkstock
Activity 2: Exploring diversity

(Primary & Secondary)
Time required: 40–50 minutes
Resources: paper, colouring pencils, felt tip pens, etc.
Two terms to consider before activity
What is equality?
Equality is about making sure individuals or groups of individuals are treated
fairly and equally and no less favourably than anyone else. Equality is not about
treating everybody the same but about ensuring everybody has access to the same
opportunities.
What is diversity?
Diversity is about recognising and appreciating differences between individuals and
how unique we are, something which should be promoted and celebrated by everyone.
An important point to remember is that even with a group of people who share a
characteristic like skin colour or nationality, there is still huge diversity between them
and this should be acknowledged and explored just as the diversity between groups is.
Delivery
Ask students to think about all of the things that define them as a person. How do they
identify themselves to others? Teachers may prompt students with the following list of
things that might be useful to consider, but it may be more meaningful if students create
their own ideas instead:
• their gender
• their hobbies
• the music they like
• their skin colour
• their nationality
• their religion
• whether they own pets
• whether they have any brothers or sisters
• whether they are part of any after-school groups, sports clubs or youth groups, or take
part in any extra-curricular activities.
For example, using this list, someone could choose to define themselves as: female,
swimmer, indie-pop-loving teenager, Canadian, Muslim, cat owner, sister, violin player,
chess club member, etc.
Activity A
Ask students to draw a picture of themselves in the middle
of a blank piece of paper. Around their portrait, ask them
to write down or draw all of the things that make up their
identity, the things that are important to them and shape
them as individuals. Once completed, provide students
with the opportunity to share their portraits with the rest
of the class. If they wish, students could talk through the
different parts of their identity and the reasons behind their
chosen characteristics—but you must make sure no one feels
uncomfortable or compelled to do this. It is important
to ensure that no one is singled out to share
their work with the class, and this activity is
acrylik/Thinkstock
important for everyone.
Or
Activity B
Have the students stand up and find others in the class who share something on their list
in common. Once grouped, students can talk about how they are similar and what their
differences are.
Form a group with people who:

• are the same gender.
• are born in the same month.
• have the same number of brothers and sisters.
• have the same colour hair.
• support the same hockey team (or favourite sport/favourite sports team).
• enjoy the same type of music.
• can speak the same language other than English.
• come from the same country.
• have the same religion or no religious affiliation.
Students can form and reform groups several times based on different criteria.
Discussion points:
Activity A
• Was it easy or hard for the young people to think of all of the things that make up their
identity?
• Are they surprised by how many things they could think of?
• If they had to choose just three of the most important parts of their identity, what
would they be? What do they think your life would be like without the other parts?
• Ask young people to consider the different layers to their identity, for example,
external aspects that may be visible to others and internal aspects that we may not
choose to share with everyone.
• Was it easy or hard to form groups based on parts of their identity similar to those of
their classmates?
• What are the advantages of having similarities and differences with other people?
Activity B
• Did the groups always have the same people in them? If not, why not?
• Were groups always the same size?
• Were the students surprised at the groups they ended up in?
• Was it possible to know which people would be in which group just by looking
• at them? Did they need to ask the people in the class questions to find out if they had
something in common with them?
• To how many different groups did they belong? What were the good things
• about belonging to a group?
• Was anybody ever left out? How did that make them feel?
• Were there any times when they were not totally truthful about something so
• that they wouldn’t be left alone?
Activity B is also useful to begin exploring the nature of groups and how important it
is when you feel like you belong. Sometimes the desire to want to be part of a group
can make people behave in ways that they might not normally. This is very relevant
when exploring racism as it is not always easy to be different or in the minority. Peer
pressure and the desire to be accepted by the majority can sometimes be a factor in
people behaving in a racist way even if they know that it is wrong and hurtful.
Sometimes people define individuals by just one part of their identity or assume that
knowing about one part of their identity is enough to know them properly/completely.
This can lead to people judging or discriminating against them based on this single trait.
For many people this single trait is their skin colour, religion, nationality, or culture.
• How would they feel if someone made a judgment about them based on one of the
things they have just chosen?
• Is that just?
• Is there more to a person than that?
• What could they do if someone made a judgment like this about them?
• How can we make sure that we’re not judging people like this?
Note
Always remember about maintaining a safe space. Not everyone will feel comfortable
reflecting on and sharing information about themselves. If students feel this way, allow
them the opportunity to carry out this activity privately.
Activity 3: THE PYRAMID OF HATE
(Upper Intermediate to Secondary)
Lecturette/discussion
Show or distribute the pyramid to students, discuss each layer. Ask them if they know
of any examples from their lives for each strata. A good follow up to this discussion
are the intervention activities from the A.R.T or Responding to Racism through ART
and Ally-building workshops, available through the BCTF Social Justice program bctf.
ca/uploadedFiles/Public/SocialJustice/Programs/SJ-workshops.pdf. These workshops can
be booked for teachers who can then use the information and strategies in their
GENOCIDE
The deliberate
systematic
extermination
of an entire people
VIOLENCE
Against people Against property
• Threats • Arson
• Assault • Desecration
• Terrorism (violating the
• Murder sanctity of a house
of worship or a
cemetery
DISCRIMINATION
• Employment • Harrassment
discrimination (hostile acts based on
• Housing a person’s race, religion
discrimination nationality, sexual
• Educational orientation or gender)
discrimination
ACTS OF PREJUDICE
• Name calling • Social avoidance • Telling belittling
• Ridicule • Social exclusion jokes
PREJUDICED ATTITUDES
• Accepting stereotypes • Not challenging • Scapegoating (assigning
belittling jokes blame to people because
of their group identity
PepeMonteiro/Thinkstock
classrooms.
Activity 4: I know a culture
(Intermediate to Secondary)
Time required: 20 minutes 
Delivery
Copy the “I know a culture” activity sheet provided below and distribute to students.
The sheet describes various cultural rituals and instructs students to decide how they
feel about each ritual and asks them to circle the relevant adjective without consulting
their peers.
1. “They have a ritual involving the use of certain garments. It is only worn in certain
seasons. The robing and disrobing of this garment and the timing of this has great
cultural significance in the hospitality ritual.”
Bizarre Delightful Interesting Disturbing Exotic
Normal Disgusting Amusing Boring
2. “They eat a food from a paste made from the seeds of a type of grass, cooked once
and then burnt near a flame, which is smeared with fat from an animal. They eat this
with the albumen from a bird. Traditionally they can only eat it at certain times
of day.”
3. “Almost the entire population is addicted to a plant substance which they drink with
water and other animal or plant substances. They speak openly about this addiction
apparently without shame and have evolved certain rituals around its use.”
4. Young people like to gorge on fried disks of slaughtered animals, often consuming bits
of blood, bone and muscle tissue in the process. They close their eyes and moan when
the juices run down their chins.
Discussion
Once all the students have completed the activity, collect some thoughts from the
room and ask why they felt this way. Then explain what the statements are actually
describing:
• taking your coat off as you enter someone’s house
• eating egg on toast for breakfast
• having a cup of tea
• describing the consumption of fast food hamburgers.
Were they surprised?

This activity highlights the fact that the way in which we describe customs can make them
sound strange and even frightening, but if we take the time to truly understand them, they
may be perfectly ordinary.
Activity 5: New neighbours

Adapted from an activity by Chris Derrington, University of Northampton.
Delivery
Divide students into small groups and distribute sets of potential neighbours, ask
“Who would you like to live next door to?” Get them to work together to decide on
a top three and a bottom three and encourage them to consider reasons behind their
decisions.
• a family with several hoodie-wearing sons

• a group of five adults in rehabilitation
• a couple from two different nationalities
• a newspaper journalist
• a group of animal rights activists
• an asylum-seeking family from Syria
• a conservative MP
• a Romany family
• a newlywed gay couple
• a single teenage mother
• a bald man covered in tattoos
• a black African family
• a Dene family
• an extended family of 10 from India
• a transgender individual
• a retired Chinese language professor
• a young south Asian man in a wheelchair
• a young gay person.
Discussion
Facilitate a discussion on each group’s choices and question their decisions, could offer
counters to challenge their thoughts.
• How did you choose?

• Where did you get your ideas form?
• Are your opinions about these groups based on fact?
• What is a stereotype?
• How is it connected to racism?
Explore stereotype and emphasise that we must never judge. A stereotype doesn’t
allow for any individual characteristics.
Can we really generalize about an entire group of people just because they have one
thing in common?
Do we really know which of the options would be good or bad neighbours?
Discuss the damaging effects that stereotypes held by teachers could have students
(e.g., “Black” children are better in track and field, Chinese children are better in
math, Aboriginal children are more artistic).
Activities dealing with racism
Exploring racism
Students may not previously have received any education on issues of race or racism.
Before they are able to tackle racism and promote equality in the classroom, they need
the opportunity to explore these issues for themselves.
Objectives
• To empower participants with the knowledge to recognize racism.
• To encourage dialogue and engage learners in critical thinking.
• To allow participants to evaluate their own attitudes in the context of different
situations.
• To clarify the correct terminology to use when discussing issues of race, racism, and
ethnicity.
Note to teachers
Before beginning an exploration of racism, teachers are encouraged to explore issues
around stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice. Teachers may also want to use
activities and/or ideas from the BCTF’s antiracism workshop A.R.T. (available through
the BCTF workshop booking process) with their students.
Encouraging teachers to reflect on their teaching

The following activities should help teachers to understand the need to continually
reflect on how their teaching impacts on different pupils and to explore ways to make
their teaching more inclusive.
Diversity diary
Adapted from an activity by Heather Smith, University of Newcastle
Ask teachers to spend some time imagining that they are from a particular minority
background. On different occasions, they could consider the needs of different
students, for example a Syrian refugee, a Sri Lankan asylum seeker, or a recent
immigrant in the early stages of acquiring English as an additional language. Ask
teachers to consider everything: the posters on the walls, the resources in the
classrooms, the messages given out, the content of the curriculum, etc. and ask
themselves, “Is this school welcoming to me?”, “Do I feel included?”, “What messages
am I being given?”. Ask them to record their thoughts in a diary entry.
Walking in our pupils’ shoes

Adapted from an activity by Jane Davies, University of Sunderland
Give teachers two copies of the statements and ask them to consider the experiences
of two different students; the first should be a student who is from the dominant
culture and the second should be a minoritized student. Again, imagining that they are
the student, the teacher participants should position how true each statement is for
the child on a linear scale ranging from absolutely true to not true at all.
I feel safe when I come I like it when my parent/ My teacher/s talk to me

to school. guardian comes in to about my life outside school.
school.
I am made to feel I see words in my home I am made to feel that I am
that the school is language around the an important part of the
interested in me school. school community.
and understands my
cultural background.
The books we read in I understand the school rules
school feature children I am happy to play with and its expectations of me,
who are like me/are anyone at anytime. and I behave accordingly.
about things which are
relevant to my life.
Activity 6: What colour am I?

(Primary)
Show students pictures of Sesame Street characters, or ask them about the puppet
characters on Sesame Street. Name the characters and label their colours. Ask
students to describe, using one word, what kind of personality each character has, e.g.,
nice, funny, grouchy, and mean. Ask them if there is any correlation between colour
and character. For example, both Kermit and Oscar are green. Are they both the
same?
After the discussion of the puppets’ colour and characteristics, ask them if they
understand the following sentence:
“I have a dream that one day my four little children will live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”
—Dr. Martin Luther King, I Have A Dream, August 28, 1963.
What does Dr. King (show a picture of him) mean by that sentence?
Activity 7: Defining racism

Time required: 15 minutes
Delivery
Ask students to work in pairs/small groups to write a definition of racism on a sticky
note then bring the sticky note to the front and put it up on the board. Discuss what
has been written addressing any miscomprehensions. Create a group definition and
compare it with a scholarly definition of racism. (See description at beginning of this
resource under Section 1: Background information)
Activity 8: Appropriate use of terminology

Delivery
1. Post the following terms around the room, BLACK, ETHNIC MINORITY,
VISIBLE MINORITY, ASIAN, NATIVE INDIAN, EAST INDIAN, JEW,
ARAB, HYPHENATED CANADIAN, QUEBECOIS, FIRST NATIONS,
MIXED RACE, MINORITIZED/MARGINALIZED, GYPSY along with a secret
ballot box and blank slips of paper.
2. Ask participants to move around the room reading the terms and to write either
“acceptable” or “unacceptable” on the blank slips of paper. Ask each member to
place these in the secret ballot box. This will encourage honesty and objectivity, and will
ensure that people’s opinions are not influenced by others.
3. Reveal the groups answers and facilitate a discussion using the following information,
adapted from “We’re All white, Thanks: The persisting Myth About ‘White’ Schools” by
Chris Gaine.
BLACK (OR BLACK PEOPLE)

Acceptable: This is the most accepted term in current use for people of African and/
or Caribbean descent.
EAST INDIAN
Unacceptable: This term has declined in acceptability, especially among younger
people of South Asian descent as there is no such place as East India, as opposed to
Eastern India. Most individuals of South Asian descent view themselves as Canadian.
ETHNIC MINORITY
Unacceptable: This has become a completely meaningless term, though it has been
widely used. It has patronizing nuances of simplicity when applied as an adjective to
handbags, clothing, and art. The term is also problematic because minority implies a
number when the intention was about the lack of power and opportunity. Currently,
the term “marginalized” or “minoritized,” addresses the issue of power without
reducing it to population numbers.
JEW(s)
Contextual: Never acceptable when used as a verb.
ASIAN
Acceptable but use with caution: This term is geographically too broad. It loses
its meaning as Asia is a massive, culturally and linguistically diverse land mass that is
geopolitically constructed.
MIXED RACE
Unacceptable: Unacceptable because it diminishes and confuses the individual’s
identity. The term mixed connotes we are all different but there is only one race. We
are just different in colour and culture.
VISIBLE MINORITY
Unacceptable: According to the U.N., this term implies that white people are the
majority and the standard which determines who belongs to a visible minority. For
classification purposes, terms such as “Causasian”, “Asian”, “South American”, etc.,
should be used instead.

ARAB
Contextual: Can be used either linguistically—someone whose first language is Arab
or genealogically by someone who can trace their ancestry to the tribes of Arabia.
Many Arabs are Muslim but there are also Christian Arabs.
CHINESE–CANADIAN
Contextual: The term Chinese-Canadian is widely accepted because it highlights
both identities: one is cultural/ancestral while the other one is a nationality/citizenship
signifier. Regardless, there will be those who prefer not to be a hyphenated Canadian
in any context and would prefer that they not be referred to in this way.
GYPSY
Unacceptable: There are many different Traveller communities and many would
not describe themselves as Gypsies. The term originated in the 1600s in the mistaken
belief that the Romany nomadic people to whom it was applied were originally
Egyptian, when they were actually of Northern Indian descent. The preferred term is
Romany.
For a more detailed exploration of terminology, concepts and definitions,

refer to Chris Gaine’s book, We’re All White Thanks: The Persisting Myth
About ‘White’ Schools, Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books, 2005.
Activity 9: Racist/not racist

Time required: 10–40 minutes
Delivery
1. Explain to participants that we are going to explore what is and isn’t racist.
2. Tell participants that you will read the following statements aloud then allow
participants some time to discuss each with a partner. After a countdown, if the
participant thinks it is not racist they should STAND UP, and if they think it is racist
they should REMAIN SEATED.
3. Encourage participants to make their own decisions and stress that there are few
wrong answers; everybody is entitled to their opinion as long as they can provide
solid reasoning to back it up.
4. After the participants have decided, ask why they decided as they did. Encourage
debate and discussion as this is a good opportunity to dispel any myths and give facts
and correct information.
5. Repeat the process with other statements. This activity is extremely flexible and can
be tailored to meet the specific needs of a group.
• A boy asks a Sikh why he is wearing a turban.

• I am a Canucks fan and I would never be friends with a Flames fan.
• In Geography, a girl states, “Immigrants keep taking all the best jobs.”
• In Canada, in 2012, according to the Toronto Star, “…first generation racialized male
Canadians earn 68.7 per cent of what their white counterparts make, and second
generation racialized males make 75.6 cents for every dollar earned by white men.”
• A general refers to a soldier as “our little Paki friend”.
• I have no First Nations friends.
• A “white” boy starts a fight with a Chinese boy. When asked why, he says: “He is just
one of them.”
• Ahmed is a Muslim. Lisa doesn’t invite him to her birthday party.
• A “white” boy calls another “white” boy “Hindu.”
• An Irish girl is made fun of in lots of anti-Irish jokes.
• A sports reporter referring to NBA player Jeremy Lin’s poor play as a “chink” in his
armour.
• On holiday I kept getting called a “Canuck”, eh.
• “Black” people make the best sprinters; “white” people make the best quarterbacks.
• Young Aboriginal males are more likely to be pulled over by RCMP.
Activity 10: Creating a safe space for discussions

Talking about themes relating to racism requires maturity and compassion for everyone.
While the activities in this resource are intended to increase empathy and broaden
everyone’s perspectives, certain discussions may cause prejudices and stereotypes to
surface. In addition to this, some participants may express anger, frustration, discomfort,
sadness or have difficulty accepting alternative views.
It is extremely important to dedicate some time to creating the right environment to keep
all participants and facilitators safe. A useful and necessary way to encourage openness,
positive behaviour, and also to provide a safe space for learners is to introduce a working
contract or ground rules. Work collaboratively with the students to develop a working
agreement that communicates expected standards of behaviour and interaction and
ensures safety and respect.
Examples of Ground Rules

• Respecting others: Students will hear ideas and opinions that may be different or
new or with which they may disagree. As they participate and interact, they must try to
take in new information without judgement and to keep an open mind. Students should
make sure that words and body language reflect a respectful attitude towards everyone.
Learn by listening to all.
• Owning one’s own values: Speak from the “I” such as “I feel, or in my experience”
avoid, “you should” or “you all think that.” If a student is going to disagree with
something, challenge the opinion or the behaviour, not the person.
• Being open and honest: Students may ask questions without fear of judgement,
there is no such thing as a “silly” question. It is important to try and understand as
much as possible; if students are not confident asking questions publicly then they may
speak to the facilitator privately.
• Respecting confidentiality: Everything said in the room stays in the room. When
sharing personal anecdotes, students need to avoid using real names and not disclose
any personal information about anyone else. Students should carefully consider what
personal information to share.
• Sharing “air time”: Students are encouraged to express ideas and opinions. Each
should take turns to contribute, help create a safe space where everyone is encouraged
to feel comfortable in speaking; and not monopolising discussions. No one is obligated
to speak. It is fine to “pass.”
• As students and facilitator engage in discussions about racism, each should be aware
that it may provoke strong feelings for some due to internalized prejudices, past
experiences, or because they have friends and/or family members with racist beliefs, or
they themselves have been the perpetrator or target of racism in the past. Facilitators
should carefully monitor students’ responses, allow adequate time to debrief and
process their feelings, and provide further support and resources as needed.
Activity 11: Creating and answering burning questions

(Secondary)
Resources: Sticky notes and a pen or pencil
Delivery
1. Hand out post-it notes to each student in the group.
2. Ask students to write down any questions, concerns, or frustrations they have about
racism or issues surrounding racism. Explain that they are permitted to write down
racist language if that’s what their question or concern is regarding.
3. Ask students to be as open and honest as they can and instruct them not to put
their name on the paper so they remain anonymous in the hope that they will feel
more comfortable writing down their genuine questions and feelings without fear of
judgement or punishment.
4. Give students a few minutes to do this and then ask them to bring their questions to
the front of the classroom and stick them onto the whiteboard.
5. If teachers are teaching about antiracism for just one lesson, these “burning questions”
should be answered at the end of the lesson. To increase the student participation, it is
a good idea to throw some of the questions back at them, to see if anyone in the group
already knows the answer and would like to share it with the group.
Teachers do not need to be experts in antiracism to deliver this activity effectively—if in

doubt as to the correct answer for a question, use it as a learning tool for both teacher
and students and find out the answer together using the Internet or any other resources.
If teaching about antiracism for an extended period of time, their questions can be
collected and then used to inform the whole body of work with the students.
Activity 12: Existing ideas

(Secondary)
Resources: slips of paper and a whiteboard or flipchart
Delivery:
1. Give each student a slip of paper. Write a word or phrase* on the board and ask them
to write the first word or phrase that comes into their head and then fold their piece of
paper in half.
2. Assure the group that, while it is important to respect other people in the room, they
can be totally honest and open and that nobody will get into trouble for what they
write. This activity should be done anonymously and they must work individually.
Write the word that you would like the young people to think about on the board. If
you are concentrating on specific racisms such as Islamophobia, the word “Muslim”
would be a good term to use for this activity. Similarly, if you are looking at prejudice
towards the South Asian community, the term “brown” may be a good term to identify
stereotypes, prejudices, and negative perceptions about this group.
If they need prompting, ask: What does the word make you think about? What does the
word mean? What do you associate or connect with the word?
Collect the slips of paper. Read the words out one at a time, creating a web or list on
the whiteboard. Don’t censor the words; it is important that everyone’s contributions
are included.
Ask the students not to volunteer information about which words were theirs or to react
or comment on anybody else’s ideas. If possible, keep the words visible throughout the
session(s).
At the end of the work with students and, as a very effective way of evaluating
participants’ learning, return to the words and facilitate a discussion that aims to challenge
and disregard any untruths and misconceptions.
Invite students to use what they have learned and suggest words that need to be
reconsidered. Question whether they are based on fact and if they apply to every
individual in the group that students have chosen to discuss. They can only remain on the
board if they do. If a word is based on stereotypes, misinformed ideas, generalizations, or
falsehoods it must be crossed out or erased.
This visual demonstration is powerful and really emphasizes the message that not all ideas
and opinions are accurate and correct all of the time and that students need to think
critically about the information they receive.
*word possibilities: muslim, Indian, black, kosher, refugee, turban, honky, brown, math
whiz, Islamophobia, trailer trash, pimp, rice eater, boat person, yarmulke, cross/crucifix,
brother, European builder, carpet rider
Activity 13: Racism or respect?

(Primary to Secondary)
Resources: flipchart paper, post-it notes, and pens or markers
Delivery:
1. Write the word “racism” on one piece of flipchart paper and the word “respect” on
another.
2. Stick them to the wall on opposite sides of the classroom.
3. Give the students sticky notes and ask them to write down as many words as possible
that they associate with each term. Have students stick them around the appropriate
term on the flipchart paper.
4. Read through the words with the class and bring out the idea that all of the words
associated with the term “racism” are negative and those words associated with
“respect” are positive.
5. Explain that this is one of the reasons why we need to prevent racism and encourage
respect amongst each other.
6. Ask the students how they think they could do this in their school and in society in
general.
Activity 14: What is racism?

Resources: Small whiteboards and pens or pieces of paper for students; whiteboard or
flipchart for the teacher.
Delivery
1. Explain to the students that we need to consider what racism looks like.
2. Organize the young people into small groups and ask them to consider the following
two questions:
a. How would somebody treat you if they were being racist to you?
b. What characteristics or traits would they pick on if they were going to be
racist to you?
3. Hand out whiteboards and pens to allow students the opportunity to write their
suggestions down, before they feed them back into a whole class discussion.
4. On the whiteboard, write the following:
“Racism is…...because of differences in…... (1) (2) (3) (4)”
5. During whole class discussion, fill in the gaps left on the whiteboard with their
correct answers.
a. Under “Racism is…” the types of treatment involved in racism should be
listed (name calling, ignoring people, prohibiting, picking on people, fighting,
violence, murder, war).
b. Under “because of differences in…” the reasons why people are racist should be
written (skin colour, religion, nationality, and culture).
Occasionally students may get upset by this activity—it is important to ensure that
students are kept safe. Remember the safe space in Activity 1.
Students sometimes struggle with understanding the terms nationality and culture so
these might need to be explained in more depth.
The term “race” is often mentioned when trying to understand what racism is. “Race” is
an arbitrary, meaningless term and this needs explaining to the young people. Historically,
people believed that there were different races of people, who shared common physical
features such as skin colour, hair type, facial features, character, and skills. Racists have
used this idea to label certain “races” as fundamentally different and inferior. However, we
now know through genetics that there is just one species to which we all belong and that
people of all colours and appearances have a similar potential. There is only one race—the
human race!
Activity 15: Freedom of speech

(Secondary)
Resources: space for students to stand, printed list of statements below
Delivery
1. This activity is a nice way of allowing students the opportunity to start opening up
about their thoughts and opinions, without feeling like they need to justify or explain
them to the teacher. It is also a really useful gauge to see how students are feeling and
what antiracism activities may need to be delivered next.
2. Explain to the group that across the room there is a continuum where one side
represents “Strongly Agree” and the opposite side represents “Strongly Disagree.”
Read out some of the statements below and the young people need to position
themselves somewhere along the continuum, in order to illustrate how they feel
about each of the statements.
a. People should be allowed to say anything they want to say.
b. There are some words that are so offensive that they should never be used.
c. It is ok for someone to use an offensive word to describe themselves.
d. It is ok to say something offensive in private but not in public.
e. It is better to speak out about hateful words and opinions so they can
be challenged.
f. It is equally damaging if a woman tells a sexist joke, if a person of colour tells a
racist joke, or if a LGBTQ person tells a homophobic joke.
g. Calling someone a name is all right if it is meant as a joke and is between friends
(for example, calling my Pakistani friend a “Paki” because he does not mind).
3. Encourage debate amongst the students and allow discussion around any of the
statements that were particularly controversial or provoked a variety of different
responses from them.
Discussion Points
• What is freedom of speech? Where do we draw the line between allowing freedom of
speech and preventing hate speech?
• Should we consider other people when we are expressing our opinions?
• Are we entitled to have our own opinions, even if having them could harm others?
• What could we do to ensure that our choice of language and the way we voice our
opinions reduces potential for conflict or harm?
• How can we be sure that our opinions and beliefs are based on truth rather than
misinformation?
Kinemero/Thinkstock KS photo BananaStock/Thinkstock
Part 3
to IRPs
Connections
Catherine Yeulet/Thinkstock
Examples of curriculum integration in the 2013

curriculum include:
• Fine Arts—identifying ways in which the fine arts portray cultural experiences.
• Humanities—identifying similarities and differences within cultural groups’ lifestyles,
histories, values, and beliefs.
• Mathematics or Science—recognizing that individuals and cultural groups have used
both diverse and common methods to compute, to record numerical facts, and to
measure.
• Physical Education—developing an appreciation of games and dances from diverse
cultural groups.
2013 PLOs connected to multicultural/antiracist teaching
Subject Source Grade

level
English Learning Standards, Explore stories from a variety of cultures, including Aboriginal K–3
Language Curricular cultures, to gain an appreciation of identity, family, and
Arts Competencies, community.
Comprehending and
Connecting
English Learning Standards, Develop an understanding of self, others, and the world though K–3
Language Curricular exploration and play.
Arts Competencies,
Comprehending and
Connecting
English Learning Standards, Texts from a variety of cultures, including those of Canadian K–3
Language Concepts and and Aboriginal origin.
Arts Content
English Learning Standards, Appreciate the universal importance of story in Aboriginal and 4–7
Language Curricular other cultures
Arts Competencies, Consider different perspectives, beliefs, and points of view in
Comprehending and Aboriginal, Canadian, and other cultural texts.
Connecting
English Learning Standards, A variety of fiction and non-fiction text types, including those 4–7
Language Concepts and of Canadian and Aboriginal origin.
Arts Content
Science Learning Standards, Local weather in terms of people’s modifications in behaviour K

Concepts and and dress.
Content
Science Learning Standards, Common objects in the sky, such as the sun and the moon, and 1
Concepts and their importance in local Aboriginal culture and other cultures.
Content
Science Learning Standards, Local Aboriginal teachings and stories about the Sun and Moon. 5
Concepts and
Content
Social Big Ideas Communities are made up of individuals from diverse cultural K
Studies backgrounds and traditions.
Understanding our personal identity helps us appreciate how
others see their identity.
Social Big Ideas Communities consist of people from diverse cultures, 1

Studies backgrounds, and perspectives.
Changes over time can be viewed from different perspectives.
Social Big Ideas An individual’s identity reflects the different communities, both 2
Studies local and global, to which they belong.
Social Big Ideas Cultures are influenced by the local. environment and contact 3
Studies with other cultures
Cultural knowledge can be passed down through oral history,
traditions, and collective memory.
Indigenous cultures have developed a variety of systems to
organize and govern themselves.
Social Big Ideas Immigration and other demographic changes. can shift cultural 5
Studies identities within a society
The development of natural resources has shaped the
economy of different regions of Canada.
Land use and ownership is an enduring source of conflict in
Canada.
Social Big Ideas Cultural practices, institutions, and traditions which emerged 6
Studies during this early period continue to have a major influence on
societies today.
Social Big Ideas Interactions among societies created tensions between 7

Studies adopting new ideas and preserving established traditions.
Social Learning Standards, Recognize that there may be different perspectives on people, K–1
Studies Curricular places, issues, and events in their lives (perspective.)
Competencies, Identify positive and negative dimensions of an event, decision,
Comprehending and or action in their lives (ethical judgment).
Connecting
Social Learning Standards, Examine reasons (e.g., beliefs, values, worldviews) why people 2
Studies Curricular have different perspectives on people, places, issues, and events
Competencies, (perspective).
Comprehending and
Connecting
Social Learning Standards, Make a value judgment about an event, decision, or action in 2–3
Studies Curricular their lives (ethical judgment).
Competencies,
Comprehending and
Connecting
Social Learning Standards, Examine reasons why people have different perspectives 3
Studies Curricular on people, places, issues, and events, and identify different
Competencies, perspectives on past or present people, places, issues, or events
Comprehending and (perspective).
Connecting
Social Learning Standards, Explain different perspectives on past or present people, places, 4-5
Studies Curricular issues, and events (perspective).
Competencies, Evaluate whether an event, decision, or action was fair from a
Comprehending and particular perspective (ethical judgment).
Connecting
Social Learning Standards, Explain different perspectives on a past or present event or 6-7
Studies Curricular issue, including how changing values, worldviews, and beliefs
Competencies, have influenced perspectives (perspective).
Comprehending and Recognize and classify different value judgments, including
Connecting ethical judgments, in a variety of sources (ethical judgment).
Social Learning Standards, Ways in which individuals and families differ K

Studies Concepts and People, places, and events in their local community, including
Content the Aboriginal community.
Rights, roles and responsibilities of individuals and groups.
Social Learning Standards, Diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives within the 1
Studies Concepts and local and other communities.
Content
Social Learning Standards, The diverse characteristics of communities and cultures in 2

Studies Concepts and Canada and around the world, including at least one Aboriginal
Content community and culture.
Different perspectives on and methods for meeting needs and
wants in their community and others.
Responsibilities of global citizenship.
Social Learning Standards, Students will know and understand concepts and content 3
Studies Concepts and related to global Indigenous societies and issues including
Content cultural characteristics and ways of life of indigenous people
(e.g., local Aboriginal groups) and aspects of life shared by and
common to human cultures and societies, regardless of time
and place.
Studies Concepts and related to contact between European and Aboriginal
Content communities including the impact of colonization on Aboriginal
communities.
Studies Concepts and related to contemporary Canadian issues including:
Content The nature and shape of Canadian immigration over time.
Human rights and the response to discrimination in Canadian
society, including the development of the Charter of Rights and
Freedoms.
Contrasting perspectives about land ownership and use,
including issues of Aboriginal title, jobs, and the environment.
Social Learning Standards, Interactions between people in past civilizations and cultures, 6
Studies Concepts and such as conflict, peace, trade, and migration
Content
Social Learning Standards, Foundations, core beliefs, narratives, and influence of major 7
Studies Concepts and religions during this time period, including at least one
Content Indigenous to the Americas
Conquest, colonization, and displacement of peoples through
imperialism or invasion
Connections to core competencies (2014)

• Thinking—The knowledge, skills, and processes we associate with intellectual
development. It is through their competency as thinkers that students take subject-
specific content and transform it into new understanding. Thinking competence includes
specific thinking skills as well as habits of mind, and metacognitive awareness. Together,
these components of thinking competency represent the abilities students need in
order to undertake deep and lifelong learning.
• Communication—Communication competency encompasses the set of abilities that
students use to impart and exchange information, experiences, and ideas, to explore
the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital
media. Communication competency provides a bridge between students’ learning, their
personal and social identity and relationships, and the world in which they interact.
• Personal and Social—Personal and social competency is the set of abilities that relate to
students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community
and society. Personal and social competency encompasses the abilities students need
to thrive as individuals, to understand and care about themselves and others, and
to find and achieve their purposes in the world. Personal and social competency is a
responsibility the school system shares with families and communities.
Barry Austin/Thinkstock hiphoto40/Thinkstock
Part 4
reading
for further
References
and resources
KS photo
Arora, R. (2005), Race and Ethnicity in Education, Ashgate publishing limited.
Bhavani, R., Mirza, H. & Meetoo, V. (2005), Tackling the Roots of Racism, Bristol: the
policy press.
Gaine, C (2005), We’re All White Thanks: The Persisting Myth About ‘White’ Schools, Stoke on
Trent: Trentham Books.
Geisler, S. (2001), The formation and affects of teacher expectations in students,

M. Sc. Thesis. Menomonie, WI: University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Gill, D., Mayor, B. & Maud, B. (1992), Racism and Education, SAGE Publications.
Gillborn, D. (2008), Racism and Education: Coincidence or Conspiracy? Abingdon:

Routledge.
Gillborn, D. & Ladson-Billings, G. (2004), The Routledge Falmer Reader in Multicultural

Education, London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Gillborn, D. & Youdell, D. (2000), Rationing Education: Policy, Practice, Reform and Equity,
Buckingham: Open University Press.
Griffiths, M. & Troyna, B. (1995), Antiracism, Culture and Social Justice in Education, Stoke
on Trent: Trentham Books.
Jones, R. (1999), Teaching Racism or Tackling It?: Multicultural Stories from White
Beginning Teachers, Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Knowles, E. & Ridley, W. (2006), Another Spanner in the Works: Challenging Prejudice
and Racism in Mainly white Schools, Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Lane, J. (2008), Young Chidren and Racial Justice, London: National Children’s Bureau.
Ofsted (1999), Raising the Attainment of Minority Ethnic Pupils, London: Ofsted,
(HMI 170).
Parker-Jenkins, M., Hewitt, D., Brownhill, S. & Sanders, T. (2007), Aiming High: Raising
Attainment of Pupils from Cultually Diverse Backgrounds, Paul Chapman Publishing.
Pearce, S. (2005), You Wouldn’t Understand: White Teachers in Multi- Ethnic Classrooms.
Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Pilkington, A. (2003), Racial Disadvantage and Ethnic Diversity in Britain,

Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Richardson, B. (2005), Tell It Like It Is: How our Schools Fail Black Children,
Bath Press.
Richardson, R. & Miles, B. (2003), Equality Stories: Recognition, Respect and Raising
Achievement, Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Richardson, R. & Miles, B. (2008), Racist Incidents and Bullying in Schools, Stoke on Trent:
Trentham Books.
Riley, T. (2005), The face of achievement: Influences of teacher decision making about
Aboriginal students, M.A. Thesis. Vancouver: UBC.
Rollock, N. (2009), The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry 10 Years On: A Critical Review of the
Literature, London: The Runnymede Trust.
Ross, A. (2002), Institutional Racism: The Experience of Teachers in Schools. British

Education Research Association Conference. Exeter September 2002, London
Metropolitan University.
Singleton, G. & Linton, C. (2006), Courageous conversations about race: a field guide for
achieving equity in schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Solomos, J. (2003), Race and Racism in Britain, 3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave
MacMillan.
Tomlinson, S. (2008), Race and Education: Policy and Politics in Britain,

Maidenhead: Open University Press.
January 2014
Timothy Oliver/Thinkstock
Mike Watson Images/Thinkstock hiphoto40/Thinkstock Fuse/Thinkstock

Show Racism The Red Card: Multicultural and Antiracist Education

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Show Racism The Red Card: Multicultural and Antiracist Education

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BC Teachers’ Federation bctf.ca

This lesson aid has 4 parts to it.

Part 2 contains lesson plans for K-12 students.

Part 3 references 2013 and proposed (2014) curriculum learning

Part 4 provides an extensive bibliography for further reading and research.

Photo credits: ©Thinkstock (except where noted)

Race is a social construct with no biological meaning.

Value of integrating multiculturalism and antiracism education

The key goals of multicultural and antiracist education are:

There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that curriculum, resources,

A note about language

GUIDELINES WHEN CHALLENGING RACISM

1. Challenge the discriminatory attitudes and behaviour, rather than

2. Expect tension and conflict and learn to manage it.

some situations, conflict is unavoidable. Tension and conflict, if harnessed correctly,

3. Be aware of your own attitudes, stereotypes, and expectations.

4. Actively listen to and learn from others’ experiences.

5. Use language and behaviour that is non-biased and inclusive.

6. Provide accurate information to challenge stereotypes and biases.

7. Acknowledge diversity and avoid stereotypical thinking.

8. Be aware of your own hesitancies.

9. Project a feeling of understanding, respect, and support.

10. Establish standards of responsibility and behaviour working collectively

Teachers are encouraged to adapt the following activities

Activity 1: Exploring prejudice and stereotypes

The Witches of Glum

Notes to the teacher:

The statements—true or false

2. Princess Christina was very beautiful.

3. Gorga was a wicked witch, who lived

disfigured and lived in a dark cave.

4. The stranger was a knight from far away.

5. The stranger wanted to be made king in return for killing Gorga.

6. The king offered the stranger a great fortune instead.

7. A good witch lived to the west of the city.

9. Gwendolyn mixed a potion, which she poured into a green bottle.

10. The stranger rode from Gwendolyn’s house to Gorga’s cave.

11. Gorga had killed many men before.

12. Gorga’s magic was no match for the stranger.

13. Everyone loved the stranger for killing Groga.

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Activity 2: Exploring diversity

Two terms to consider before activity

important for everyone.

Form a group with people who:

Were they surprised?

Activity 5: New neighbours

• a family with several hoodie-wearing sons

• How did you choose?

Activities dealing with racism

Encouraging teachers to reflect on their teaching

Walking in our pupils’ shoes

I feel safe when I come I like it when my parent/ My teacher/s talk to me

Activity 6: What colour am I?

Activity 7: Defining racism

Activity 8: Appropriate use of terminology

BLACK (OR BLACK PEOPLE)

For a more detailed exploration of terminology, concepts and definitions,

Activity 9: Racist/not racist

• A boy asks a Sikh why he is wearing a turban.

Activity 10: Creating a safe space for discussions

Examples of Ground Rules

2. Expect tension and conflict and learn to manage it. 

5. Use language and behaviour that is non-biased and inclusive.  