Congress 2021 blog edition
Being “not-racist” is not enough to eradicate racism, social inequities and injustices. As Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s Big Thinking discussion pressed upon attendees: for radical change we must be antiracist...in our thoughts, policies and actions.
Racism is inherently structural and describes a system of prejudice and inequality. Racist is a descriptor for a single thing: a policy, a person, a statement.
Something that is antiracist firmly and unequivocally opposes something that is racist. “There is no neutrality between racism and anti-racism,” explained Dr. Kendi.
Race is an idea: false notions are systematically and relentlessly taught to people
Racist ideas are reproduced over time. Dr. Kendi gave the example of the stereotype ‘Black people are lazy,’ saying, “Black people are taught there is something wrong with us. I have had to unlearn these ideas through a journey of learning from Black scholars and teachers.”
Dr. Kendi explained “racism operates differently in every nation on earth, but there are striking similarities.” A primary similarity is the erasure of indigeneity, justified by false narratives, and the idea that Blackness is dangerous.
“I recommend we approach university and college antiracist work with vulnerability”
The first step of a journey towards dismantling racism is to be self-critical. To be antiracist, each of us must acknowledge our own internalized biases and prejudices, and we must do so intersectionally. If you are transphobic, homophobic or sexist, you cannot be antiracist because many Black people fall into other marginalized groups.
Building antiracist capacity in universities
Public scholars can ensure they are part of the solution by clearly translating their research so the public is aware of and educated on the problems. Scholars can also use their research as the foundation for evidence-based policy and recommendations for change.
Dr. Kendi also provided examples to build antiracist capacity in our universities:
- Universities must build antiracist programs to fit the conditions of their specific campus; there is no umbrella solution
- Courses about race and racism could have a project component where students diagnose and address an issue on campus
- Award and incentivize scholarship and campus groups that address evident racial problems in the campus community and beyond
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Dr. Ibram X. Kendi of Boston University and Dr. W. Andy Knight of the University of Alberta presented “How to be Antiracist” as part of the Big Thinking series hosted by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the University of Alberta.
The Big Thinking series events are sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Universities Canada, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Links for more learning
For more information on Ibram X. Kendi, please visit www.prhspeakers.com.
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