New blog post by Not A Trend: How Can I Use This Anger?
Racial Justice
From uproar over black families in Sainsbury’s adverts, to the revelation that girls of Black Caribbean heritage are more than twice as likely to be excluded as white girls (see exclusions page), racism is continuing to rear its head in and outside the UK education system. Whilst there have been moments of genuine solidarity and connection, with another wave of Black Lives Matter protests taking off across the world in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd, and student-led decolonisation campaigns cropping up in schools across the UK, anti-racism continually falls off the mainstream agenda once it is no longer ‘trending’, or can risk being cast by individuals or corporations as a fight independent of other struggles for dignity, justice and equality - against patriarchy; against capitalism. Not a Trend, a youth-led campaign forming from Change Collective’s activist training programme Changemakers Lab, is just one of many youth-led campaigns seeking to address racism in the UK education system - all year round.
Below is a collection of articles and resources from within Changemakers Lab and other organisations - ranging from practical toolkits to videos and podcasts - showcasing the work of young people and other activists fighting for racial justice. Is there something missing from here? Fill in this form to add a resource!
Not a Trend is a campaign ensuring that the fight against racial injustice is not simply another hashtag. They will be joining with other young activists, changemakers and organisations to form a decolonising taskforce, to win change in this area, and ensure that meaningful anti-racism and anti-racist policies and approaches are not only possible, but a necessary part of a just education system. Our fantastic team from the CML campaign Not a Trend headed up by Ava and Simi, are currently planning next steps for the campaign - you can listen to their panel discussion from the #FreedomtoLearn2020 festival below.
Are you aged 14-18 and passionate about campaigning for change in the education system?
The Changemakers Lab 2021 training and campaign programme is now underway, but fill in this form if you would like to get involved in Change Collective, Changemakers Lab or other upcoming projects.
In the UK…
independent.co.uk
UK schools have targeted black children for generations – the education system is overdue for a reckoning
We’ve had books on racial biases and punishment for cultural practices since the...
gal-dem.com
What does black British activism look like in 2020?
With claims that the UK’s issues with racism are not as urgent as those across the pond, Seun Matiluko interviews black British..
theguardian.com
National curriculum ‘systematically omits' black British history
The Black Curriculum report says England’s ‘white, Eurocentric curriculum’ fails to reflect UK society
theguardian.com
Racism in the UK still rife, say majority of Britons
People are more likely to say that racism has got worse or stayed the same during their lifetimes than it has become less common…
independent.co.uk
Teachers biased against black pupils and white boys from underprivileged backgrounds, report says
Biases affect setting, teacher assessment outcomes, and disciplinary measures in..
theguardian.com
Why is the UK government suddenly targeting 'critical race theory'?
By importing Trump’s culture war, the Conservatives are trying to close down any discussion of structural inequality
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. An article by Peggy McIntosh
Required Readings for Radical Black Women
People of Colour Online Classroom - amplifying the voices of marginalized communities, educate others and ourselves on critical social justice issues, empower marginalized peoples, and incite change
The Exceptional Negro: Fighting to be Seen in a Colorblind World | Traci Ellis | TEDxHarperCollege
Youth Activism with Alvin Owusu
A group of sixth formers from London campaigning to change the way British colonial history is taught on the National Curriculum
Youth Activist Amado Bari presents a crazy new podcast show which talks about everyday struggles that young people face
An online and print publication committed to sharing perspectives from women and non-binary people of colour
Racial Justice - Everyday Feminism
Show Racism the Red Card is an educational charity anti-racism workshops to more than 50,000 young people every year
Education should be the most freeing and liberating experience one can partake in. At present this is too often not the case
Exploring the trope of the quirky/awkward black girl in the films, tv, shows, and in real life.
A group of young black and brown south London kids fighting to end the criminalisation of Black and Brown youth in the Eduction and Criminal Justice system
What do you mean I can't change the world? | Jemmar Samuels tells the story of how she went from hating the way she looked, to realising the injustices that had made her feel that way, to proud acceptance of herself as a beautiful, working class, black young woman
An alliance of organisations and individuals working to create a future without hair discrimination, founded by young Black organisers from The Advocacy Academy.
Resources on how to build a shared language about our situation, a shared framework for understanding our situation, and a shared understanding of our history so we can better understand how we got here and what we can learn from those who went before us.