Get your community on board with your approach to anti-racism

Not all school communities will be eager to talk about racism and racial justice. Find out how you can encourage resistant members of your community to engage with any anti-racism work you’re doing.

Last reviewed on 22 December 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 40817
Contents
  1. This isn’t something you can solve quickly, so start with small steps
  2. Start a reading group to create support among staff
  3. Be clear about your approach to anti-racism with parents and staff
  4. Empathise with your community to help them empathise with others
  5. Once you've started to get your community on board, consider your next steps
  6. BAME – a note on terminology

This isn’t something you can solve quickly, so start with small steps

Improving inclusivity and making your school anti-racist is a long-term project, especially if your community is reluctant to discuss race issues, or even actively resistant to your efforts.

However, it’s better to make a start, keep pushing and learn as you go, than make no progress at all. You can be the driving force for change in your school.

Prepare to face some resistance, but don't let it put you off

Resistance might not be obvious, and could take the form of parents or staff:

  • Believing that they don't need to worry about racism, especially if there aren't a lot of BAME people in the community
  • Agreeing that racism is an issue, but that there are bigger problems to deal with
  • Thinking that there's no racism in the school community, and so tackling it would be a waste of time

Read next

Also in "Building relationships with parents"