Blog 3 – RACE
- Shades of Noir (SoN)
- As a black queer member of staff I was signposted to SON in the first week I started at CSM and introduced to Montana and Aisha. Sadly both of these staff members have now left UAL after experiencing racism. I worked closely with both of them on the anti-racism board and its unfortunate demise. They created a community, which I felt included in. I’ve experienced a lot of racism since being at UAL and SON was a space I could process the complex feelings I had, where I wanted to process my experience and not necessarily go heavy for formal complaints. I’ve experienced racism from staff, students and the senior leadership/institutional structures that are racist. I feel I do incorporate a lot of this work in my studies/research – I teach identity and my practice is centred on creating transformational spaces that include many identities, enabling many people to thrive and not solely the most privileged. Every year since ive started, ive mentored the teach within candidate who has joined P:DP – elevating another colleague and supporting them to find their confidence with our course. Ill continue to do this. In all honesty, I believe, as a professional black man coming to work, doing my job well, showing up for my team and students, bringing my perspective and experience and communicating my viewpoint – hoping to not receive racism in the building – is doing quite a lot already to decolonise teaching. I hope the staff causing the most harm can work harder – as ive already had to be ‘near perfect’ to get here and wouldn’t be entitled to the second chances, slap on the wrists and excuses that are made – for quite frankly – harmful and hurtful experiences that change how you feel about yourself.
- Read Hahn Tapper (2013) ‘A pedagogy of social justice education: social identity, theory and intersectionality’
This is an interesting paper that analyses social justice education and the ways we learn. Education can liberate us intellectually and physically and I see that at UAL. UAL is a diverse space in many ways – with the worlds cultures and identities gathering together – this is often also the bedrock of immense harm – from students to students, and from students to staff. As stage one leader, I witnessed this on many occasions where students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, projecting and assuming about other students. Students from major cities had different views to more rural students and without the tools – sadly a lot of pain and upset can be caused. My work encourages community, listening and connection as a way of developing a caring pedagogy that allows for better working practice. This is before we even begin to think about content – we must address who we have in the room and how we would like to work.
- Ted talk video “Witness Unconscious Bias” video.
An interesting perspective from Josephine Kwhali – that I totally agree with. I often ask myself the question when can this unconscious become conscious – how many times does it need to be pointed out until it is realised that its simply not acceptable to speak/treat/favour/behave in this way in a work place. I honestly believe that if the roles were reversed – the more marginalised staff would not be given the same grace for their own ignorance; after having ones own behaviours clearly pointed out as being harmful.
And yet – I don’t believe shaming and blaming is the antidote but care and compassion and sensitivity will be the new tools to dismantle white supremacy. And yet this kindness and softer approach is taken advantage of.
- ‘Retention and attainment in the disciplines: Art and Design’ Finnigan and Richards, 2016
This is an interesting document that begins to explain how the attainment gap can grow on a course that is meant to give everyone a fair chance of success – when dissected, noting specifics around certain identities/experiences thriving. This can be through so many different and complicated systems – whether it’s having a previous experience and having the privilege to study a foundation at UAL – may give someone a head start. Perhaps, having tutors and staff members that look like you, may make some students feel more comfortable. Understanding references, terminologies, jargon, language – may privilege some students over others. The daily microaggressions some students experience every day in comparison to others can create an unsafe environment. All of this can directly impact someone journey through a three-year degree. I’ve witnessed it first-hand on my own course. I’m unsure how this can be resolved without showing positive action and supporting a student with where they are right now. That may mean one tutorial is an hour and the other is 10 minutes – and yet we are discouraged from showing this disparity student to student. And yet, we aren’t all starting from the same starting line.
- terms of reference from SoN around Race
In honesty I found this whole account and all the articles very challenging. I wondered who it was written for, who the imagined audience is? I felt angry reading the articles and frustrated that my experience – my daily experience was written down, expanded upon and still so little change. I read blasé commitment to racial injustice, I read about the white voice, I see people fall silent when discrimination happens and people don’t help, or speak up and it is left to the person experiencing the harm to also point it out – and then be deemed as difficult or non-compliant. I see white staff members promoted and minority staff flatline and then leave. I didn’t see much hope in this report – it didn’t make me enthused to go to work tomorrow – I felt it is an article for white people to learn about themselves and didn’t make me feel safer at work having all the ways harm is experienced written down so clearly and yet so little change.