On 28 June 2024, UWE Bristol hosted the third annual South West Anti-Racist Education Forum (SWAREF), an event organised in partnership between UWE Bristol and the University of Bristol. The 2024 SWAREF aimed to build on the previous two events in 2023 and 2022 and provide informative participatory sessions on issues which local practitioners have identified as priorities: student voice, racial literacy, safeguarding, refugee education and sharing current anti-racist projects and research. The takeaway from the day, described by an attendee, is that education practitioners should be ‘explicitly and actively anti-racist’.
The day commenced by centring the student experience. Bristol Cathedral Choir School students Ella, Maliah-Rae, Ibrahim, Yacub, and Khadijah shared their experiences of representation in their school curriculum through music, poetry, and stories, highlighting social justice issues and the discussion of race as part of Bristol’s history. Combining instruments with spoken word, storyteller and musician, //Kabbo Hue Ferdinand, then shared an indigenous South African story about the painful but potentially transformative process of education for young people.
Experienced educators and consultants, Louise Nevers and Sharon Porter, led a collaborative session addressing the barriers to Speaking about Race in the Classroom, and how to overcome these to ensure misconceptions and racism do not go unchecked. Several professional and ethical principles were given to help practitioners confront racism while centring the wellbeing of their students. Colourism was used as an example issue, and teachers of colour shared their experiences of colourism within the profession and the physiological, emotional, and social effects of this: low self-esteem, depression, and peer exclusion. An enlightening talk followed, focused on race as a social construct and how colourism plays into this as a marketing method in the service of capitalism.
The Projects in Progress panel followed, chaired by Dr Marie-Annick Gournet, featured several Bristol-based anti-racist projects: RepairEd, creating a city-wide dialogue about the local histories of racism; Lit Legacies, bringing Black representation into the curriculum through literature; Black Joy Trails, centring Black joy as opposed to trauma, using literature and introducing children to places in their local area they can associate with joy; Raise the Bar, rectifying the disconnect with Black and Brown students and staff; and Power Education, a tutoring project connecting Somali children to their heritage through reading and deconstructing Somali poetry. Comments from attendees about the panel described the session as a useful ‘networking tool’ for attendees to follow and engage with projects they are interested in. One person wrote: ‘The day was so carefully put together and showcased wonderful community-focused projects across the city. It is apparent that the work going on in Bristol has the learner voice at the centre’.
Learner voice was certainly an integral part of the day; however, one workshop also considered the importance of listening to and engaging with parents. The EAL and Refugee Education workshop was credited as an ‘eye-opening’ discussion on the lack of support and provisions for students with English as an additional language. Led by Khadeeja Abunajm and Robert Sharples, attendees heard first-hand accounts from parents of EAL students, who shared their challenging experiences of UK education. ‘Rooted in the reality of funding constraints’, the facilitators nonetheless shared best practice for safeguarding, parental engagement, encouraging multilingualism and ‘talk for writing’.
Claire Neaves, Lana Crosbie, Indikah Smith, and Jessie Abrahams conducted the workshop on Safeguarding and Race, focusing on the lack of safeguarding measures for racially minoritised children within school safeguarding policies. They explained the consequences of staff and school management biases: adultification, stereotyping, and criminalisation of children through punitive behaviour management systems. ‘Teaching new teachers about anti-racism and safeguarding’ was identified as a key take-away for this session.
The penultimate workshop on Promoting Retention and Wellbeing of Racially Minoritised Staff, run by Amy Saleh and Claire Stewart-Hall, also provided ample opportunities for the group to discuss and share ideas. The dynamics of whiteness in local schools and the importance of taking accountability and developing self-awareness of one’s own biases were debated, concluding that racism in the workplace should be addressed by analysing one’s own beliefs and sharing these through staff discussions. The effectiveness of this workshop is emphasised through feedback: ‘Claire discussed things in her talk that I have felt but never named and that was powerful’.
The day concluded with a collaborative, Manifesto-writing Activity led by RepairEd, which allowed attendees to think outside of the box about what schools could be like, applying their learning from the day and aspirations for the future. Groups developed then shared their manifestos using card prompts, the session ending with a renewed sense of hope and anticipation for change.
The positive impact of these forums on attitudes towards teaching race is apparent through feedback from the day; ‘I feel more supported to push racial education’. Therefore, it is essential that spaces for discussions about race and anti-racist practices, such as this forum, are available. Moreover, witnessing the commitment of educators to deepen their own understanding of race and support their minoritised students is encouraging and uplifting. Being ‘heartened to see so many practitioners and scholars working on this’ should be a shared experience for all educators. Therefore, SWAREF continues to inspire and educate those who attend, sharing the message that ‘anti-racism is for everyone’.
Written by Gabrielle Downey (student) (Gabrielle2.Downey@live.uwe.ac.uk) and Jasmine Powell (student) (Jasmine2.Powell@live.uwe.ac.uk) under the wing of Terra Glowach (Terra.Glowach@uwe.ac.uk) and Dr Sharon Walker (University of Bristol).
