How to be anti-racist: Five takeaways from “Anti-racist Education: Principles, Pedagogies, and Community-Engagement”

In the American education curriculum, we learn little of America’s ethically spotted past and even less of its present. The past year, however, has illustrated to everyone paying attention that racism still very much exists in our society and is ingrained into every system of power. These problems often seem so large that we cannot imagine how to change them. We may be tempted to absolve ourselves of responsibility, thinking that we have little power as an individual. This complacency is dangerous. It is only through individuals doing their part to dismantle racist systems that we can come together for collective change.

All this begs the question: what is anti-racism and how can we do our part? As part of the Opportunity of Now event series, Duke Service-Learning hosted Dr. Ronda Bullock in Fall 2020 for a conversation on anti-racist education. Here are five major takeaways from that panel.

1. White supremacy exists, is violent, and is ingrained into American society. When we talk about white supremacy, most people think of extreme examples such as Nazism and the KKK. White supremacy, however, is far more than that. “White supremacy is a system based on the belief that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs and actions of white people are superior to people of color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs and actions,” says Bullock. She adds, “White supremacy is violent. It is both symbolically violent, so microaggressions, that’s a form of violence. And then physically violent, that’s where you get into mobs and white rage and those types of things.”

A white supremacy system is ingrained into every part of our lives, such that it doesn’t matter who is in power if these core infrastructures are not dismantled. The ecosystem in which we live is one of structural violence, designed to privilege some and marginalize others. We all have to do our part to stop this violence to create an equitable society.

2. We must develop an explicitly anti-racist racial equity lens. To develop a racial equity lens is to see how race exists in every aspect of our lives. It is also to understand that racism controls large-scale systems of power. While events may seem isolated, such as police brutality, when we look at these events on a whole and synthesize that information, we realize that racism is rooted in the system itself. Bullock says, “A racial equity lens is a way of thinking about and reflecting upon how race, racism and white supremacy interact with power to create inequality.”

By recognizing how racism works within our larger systems and its general pervasiveness, we can actively teach against it. “It’s inadequate to just say, ‘Well I teach my kids to treat everyone equally, and, I teach them to be kind people.’ That is insufficient parenting and teaching,” Bullock says. “It has to be explicit. We have to explicitly teach against race and racism. From the very youngest to the very oldest.”

3. Racism is inherently tied to power. When we think about how governmental bodies, universities, and other large institutions are reliant on racist systems, we realize that power structures in this country are necessarily bound with racism. To be anti-racist, then, is to use the power that one has to dismantle those systems.

We may feel as though we have no power. Bullock challenges this notion and asks us to reflect on the resources available to us to make a change. While most of us aren’t legislators or in high positions, we have the opportunity to speak up when we witness microaggressions. Everyone can amplify marginalized voices. Everyone can advocate for marginalized communities. As Bullock states, “Anywhere where we have privilege, we have power.”

4. Representation isn’t enough. We have to center marginalized voices. We may see references to marginalized people in positions of power as a proof that racism, sexism, homophobia, or whatever the social issue, does not exist. The existence of marginalized people in positions of power, however, does not mean that these systems are being dismantled. If someone is in a high position, are they actually being listened to? Do they have the power to enact change, and do they use that power?

Centering marginalized voices also means decentering whiteness. “And when I’m talking about whiteness,” Bullock notes, “I’m talking about the thoughts, values, beliefs, actions of those who identify as white.” The lived experiences of marginalized communities are important and count as knowledge, yet these experiences are often ignored by those in power, for example at a university or governmental level. “Our students of color and our colleagues of color, we need to be listening to them,” Bullock urges. “They have been communicating for years what needs to happen. But there are gatekeepers preventing those voices from having weight and from having power.”

5. Non-marginalized people should strive to be co-conspirators, not allies. What is the difference between a co-conspirator and an ally? Allyship is passive whereas co-conspiratorship is active. Bullock describes how allyship is often rooted in white saviorhood, whereas co-conspiratorship is rooted in working together. “Allyship” often involves white people going into Black communities to “help,” while co-conspiratorship focuses the work on white spaces. That also often involves sacrifice of power or privilege.

Bullock also distinguishes shame and guilt from humility. “Black and brown communities can’t benefit from someone’s shame and guilt,” Bullock says. Humility, however, dismantles the egoism and superiority inherent in white supremacy. That also involves speaking up when we witness microaggressions because when we don’t, we prioritize the pain of the aggressor rather than the victim. Co-conspiratorship relies on sacrifice, humility, and working to dismantle white supremacy within white communities.

By learning these takeaways and putting them into action, we can progress towards a more equitable society. It is only through disrupting whiteness and existing power structures that we can dismantle racist systems. The work may seem monumental, but that doesn’t mean it’s unchangeable. As our individual efforts compound into a collective force, we can finally begin to take down the injustices that persist in our communities.

Learn more about Ronda Bullock and we are (working to extend anti-racist education).