Anti-Racist Vs. Not Racist
Before starting this course, I had thought that the terms “not racist” and “anti-racist” were the same thing. I never even knew that people used the term not racist. If one was not discriminating towards a different racial group, they would be classified as someone who isn’t racist, not racist, anti-racist—same thing… right?
My mind was completely changed after watching the video “How to be an anti- racist teacher in a mostly white school” by Taryn Coe. Coe explained how it’s easy for staff and/or students to see racism as someone else’s problem. It is our job as white educators to educate our students/colleges that this is not that case. She brings up that white people, in schools in this case, aren’t experiencing this kind of discrimination that other racial groups are, which is why we may turn a blind eye to it.
A quote that stood out to me in this video was that “silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented” (Coe). This quote is meaningful as it relates to the idea of not racist versus anti-racist. If one claims that they’re not racist yet do nothing to change or advocate for this issue, like Coe stated, they’re encouraging the tormentor(s). An anti-racist individual on the other hand will act as opposition towards the tormentor, and will push and advocate for a just society that all individuals should be apart of.
From this video, I now understand that I was an individual who was not racist. I am now informed and aware that the terms not racist and anti-racist differ from each other in a bigger way than I thought. It is my responsibility as a future white educator to learn about what I can do to have a voice as an anti-racist educator.
Some things from the video that I can do is to own my mistakes when I make them and learn from them, not remain silent but rather use my voice as an advocate for the victims of racism, research the history of racism in my country, and learn about my privileges and a white individual (Coe). All of these actions will slowly but surely lead my students and the future to a just and inclusive society that it should have always been.
Works Cited
How to be an anti-racist teacher in a mostly white school. (2021). YouTube. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from https://youtu.be/U_ITNyEHLOk.