On Thursday 26th January, the EDI Team launched the Being Anti-Racist: Awareness, Change, Transform (ACT) development programme, which is a continuation of the Disrupting Racism programme. This programme serves to raise awareness, implement change, and empower people to transform behaviours.
The first of this three-part programme was a talk from Dr Matt Jacobs, Honorary Research Associate, School of Sociology, Politics, and International Studies. In his talk, Dr Jacobs explored the definition of ‘whiteness’ and its role in facilitating an unbalanced system of power, discussed the importance of recognising white privilege, and examined how we can disrupt racism by disrupting whiteness.
Of those who attended the talk by Dr Jacobs, 80% found it “very helpful” in increasing their understanding of being Anti-Racist. Sarah Price, a Senior Engagement Officer in the Development and Alumni Relations Office, attended the talk by Dr Jacobs, and had the following to say:
I signed up to attend the Being Anti-Racist series because I wanted to learn more. I think like most people, I want to fight against racism but am not always sure what else I could be doing to make a real difference. The first talk in the series addressed some difficult and uncomfortable ideas in a very clear way. It was well structured and informative and there are some excellent follow up resources for staff to engage with. I’ve shared these, and the recording of the first talk with colleagues in my team.
With the University looking to address its legacy of slavery, it’s a topic which is at the forefront of conversations amongst the Bristol community, and it’s really helpful to have access to this extra set of resources whilst we reflect on our history and look towards the future.
Other attendees had the following to say:
[It was] really interesting to learn more about what creates ‘whiteness’ and how to look out for it. I’ll also be raising some of Matt’s suggestions particularly around how we recruit.
I thought the point being made about challenging racism by pointing out the whiteness of other people interesting that I haven’t come across as a suggestion in my learning to be anti-racist.
I found it very clear and challenging. I will try to address racism when I see it now and I think I am more likely to see it now.
It gave a different perspective on white privilege that I had not previously considered, so it opened my eyes considerably.
If you have signed up to the Being Anti-Racist programme, you can view the recording of the talk on the SharePoint site. To sign up, search for the programme in Develop.