Anti- Racist Activism in Higher Education, Let's Disrupt, Deconstruct and Decolonize.

Shakir, Syra

ANTI RACIST

Accept racism exists

Not being racist is not enough

Time to listen and learn from people's experiences

Information, understand the terms, data, research

Racism harms everyone, know the reality

Accountability and responsibility

Care, compassion and empathy

I can make a change

Support, report, challenge

Time to take action and make changes

This acrostic defines anti-racism and invites everyone in the call to action to become anti racist. Anti-racism embodies the principle that all races and ethnic groups should be treated equally and have access to the same opportunities (Kendi, 2019). However, the essence of anti-racism extends beyond this belief, it involves taking active measures to address current inequalities. This includes the deliberate deconstruction of systems, privileges, and routine behaviours that uphold and standardize present-day forms of white supremacy (Delgado and Stefancic, 2023). In relation to higher education, anti-racist practice helps to create a more equitable and inclusive environment by actively addressing and dismantling systemic racism within the institution (Salisbury & Connelly, 2021). There is a notable link between students’ sense of belonging and their academic success (Thomas, 2012). Anti-racist practices have been shown to reduce racial disparities in educational outcomes by providing support systems tailored to the needs of racially marginalised students, such as mentoring programs, academic support, and mental health services (Jankowski, 2022).

This presentation will detail the ways in which my activism has affected policy change at the university to build an anti -racist institution. I will provide practical take aways and lessons learned to embedding such an approach, within a critical race theory framework using both teaching practice and research scholarship whilst engendering hope and solidarity to those working in higher education.