It's illegal to teach about white privilege, apparently

[BIWI]

Anyone see this?

article in today's Guardian

I'm absolutely astounded - not only that this is the equalities minister saying this, but also that she black herself. How can she justify this?

I'm not saying that we should tell 'young children that simply because they are x they will have to struggle harder to achieve'

But I do think children need to be made aware of the different privileges they may benefit from, either because of their sex or their skin colour (or their 'disbenefits' - if there is such a word!)

I'm Irish, from the nationalist community in the north. British imperialist history is not something that happened 100s of years ago it's something that is within living memory and continues to have an impact on society to this day. Would Northern Ireland be in such a shit show with Brexit it British people had the first clue about their own history?

Systemic racism is real, black people face real documented inequalities in education, health outcomes etc but most people don't actually understand what the term white privilege means maybe because they aren't educated about it 🤔

Not sure the experience of growing up black in a nice middle class family in a majority black country gives one much insight into like as a black kid in a.deprived area of the UK (because of it did I'm sure she wouldn't be a Tory)

This is the Black Mumsnetters section...

... and your point is?

@Venicelover most black people and other non-white people who grow up in the UK and go to school here are told they have to work harder due to their race. I know from myself and my friends.

You get taught this when you start noticing or even worse experiencing racial discrimination, this happens to some kids younger than others.

I don't know anyone who is taught that the fact they haven't achieved something is due to their race but I do know people from 15 onwards who stopped trying in a particular area because of the racism they experienced.

@Bobojangles lots of British people forget that there were actually colonies in Europe.

@RedMarauder you don't need to be told overtly or even personally that 'white privilege' is putting barriers up for you, you can absorb it like osmosis. The phrase is everywhere in the media, it should not be in the classroom.

I watched a news interview with some young men being asked why they would not join the Uk police. They were speaking as if it would never be an option for them until racism was eradicated, and also mentioning news reports from the US. Which begged the question from some very senior officers (who had been there and experienced it, but broken through) how could the recruitment of people of colour improve if no one younger was coming through with the tenacity to strive against it, and why US cases were affecting judgments on the state of UK policing?

The lads were asked had they experienced issues with the police first hand, and they all said no. So, it wasn't personal experience but anecdotal information that was making them back off.

@Venicelover teachers have always had it dictated to, particularly under Tory governments, what political matters they are allowed to talk about in the classroom. So much so that some can't even tell you the truth about themselves until you are 16+ and/or have left the school and just bump into them in the street.

why US cases were affecting judgments on the state of UK policing?
This is why teaching black British history is important and as part of it making it clear that black people stood up themselves to fight discrimination.

I use studying empire and slavery to talk about where race politics in the USA have their roots. It's not on the curriculum but that doesn't stop teachers who want to linking it like that and exploring it in discussions and allowing those discussions to lead into talking about racism if that's where it goes and is safe in that classroom.

That won't be all teachers though. Years ago I had to develop conversations and training for staff on dealing with controversial conversations in the classroom because many teachers were terrified and would just shut down any discussion they found uncomfortable.

I'd say in my average lesson there are 4-6 students of colour and I am wanting as with all students to support them and link learning to their experiences and use examples that they can relate to.

Things not being spelt out on the curriculum doesn't mean they aren't explored. It's the fact that I explore those issues that presumably made the boy I was talking about feel comfortable with coming to me and feeling he could explore the issue of racism with me despite my being a white woman.

I've been trying to listen to black mothers and trying to reflect more on, in particular black boys experiences and perceptions and needs in the classroom and to be less defensive about accusations of racism in staff etc.

What I want to do is get more diverse kids into student leadership roles and forums and boost our recognition of how diverse and interesting our school community is. It's something I've had experience of at fe level and think needs to be done in schools. Which reminds me I need to write an application for an additional role at school.

Even I as a happily unmarried single mum who has lived in other countries and speak a bit of Arabic am a bit of fresh air for some in a sea of middle class white normativity.

I guess I think there are bigger and better victories to be sought than adding a 20 minute slot on white privilege to an already broad and shallow pshe curriculum

TheHoneyBadger Thank you. You are a kind, compassionate person. Your students are fortunate to have you as a teacher.

I'm not sure they'd agree with you en masse but I am trying

A role has come up for developing and managing a student leadership programme and I want to apply (but am wary because it's only a teeny bit of extra money and a ton of extra time I expect). At the fe college I managed to secure funding from what was the Learning Skills Agency to set up a student diversity group and take them to all the different faith communities' places of worship in our town and to the holocaust museum to hear from a holocaust survivor etc and have them make a film of all that for our college community.

By building relationships with all these communities I was hoping to also try and encourage more diverse applications in recruitment (basically massively diverse student population but massively monocultural staff) but cutbacks and new principle meant redundancy and them nicking the funding secured for my group who were halfway through the project.

It would be great to do something similar at school through a leadership programme and project managing groups of students to come up with ways of being more inclusive etc. Not sure if that's what the leadership really want though or just someone to sort out an old school prefects and head boy and student council. Still pondering on whether to apply but I can already think of kids I'd want to bring on board.

Sounds like you'd be a great person for the job @TheHoneyBadger

I read your opening post Op and disagreed with you, however I’ve given it more thought. What harm is being done by teaching white privilege? It exists. For as long as we continue to deny this, the problems will still exist and it needs challenging from a young age. I’d have no problem with my child being taught this in schools. It’s a harsh reality of life, just because it’s not a part of everyone’s life doesn’t mean it doesn’t need attention.

It obviously needs to be taught because I don't understand it as much I need to, and judging by the comments that people don't know wether it's a fact or opinion or made up shows that other people don't have a clue either.

She did something similar in a debate on COVID telling an Asian Labour MP that she won’t be lectured to on race essentially from a non-Black person. As if Asians don’t face racism!

A black person's experience of racism and an Asian person's experience of racism are not the same... so I agree with her on that point.

It reminds me of Priti Patel saying it was utterly disgusting and unacceptable to pull down the statue of the slave trader in Bristol....it was disgusting having it up in the first place...and the fact that decades of campaigning didn't have it brought down just supports the fact systemic racism that exists. It wasn't her people that were brutalised at the hands of white people centuries ago...

Glorifying a man who was a key player in abusing human beings and having them murdered was justified because he gave so much to Bristol...yet as soon a Jimmy Saville's crimes came to light, he was stripped of everything given in life.

I've been trying to articulate in my own head why I'd rather focus on racism and discrimination than white privilege and I think it's the fact that it is less divisive. We really want and need community cohesion in schools and everyone can get behind being anti racism and inclusive and being aware of diversity.

Telling kids that some of them/their classmates have innate privilege would have a different effect in the classroom and I would envision division and resentment coming from it driven by both black and white kids.

I like that our kids are united in their belief that racism is wrong and the white kids will support a black student who is on the receiving end of overt or subtle racism but students will differentiate between that and a kid whose just being a dick and then calling it racist when they're pulled up on their behaviour. Perhaps black students more than white as they're not afraid to say it of a classmate.

Looking at it from a white privilege perspective I just envision being divisive.

Looking at it from a white privilege perspective I just envision being divisive.

I very much agree with this also.

Why is discussing a problem as it is divisive?

Black people should just shut up and put up in the name of "community" and "social cohesion"? 🤔🤔🙄🙄🙄

No - I've said we thoroughly discuss racism and discrimination - how do you see that as shut up and put up?

And why did it require a heap of emojis?

You can't thoroughly discuss racism without discussing white privilege. You can have a discussion without it but it will be anything but thorough. If people spent as much energy on the mental gymnastics to police conversations on racism to make them palatable to white people -we might actually do something about racism.

I use emojis like most people on this platform. I didn't realise there was a rule against using them or there were offensive 🙄🙄

White privilege can be taught/discussed. It can’t be taught as fact. But, it can be debated, discussed and learnt about.

Theory is way more closer to fact than an opinion. White privilege is a theory on par with evolution, also a theory. And both are taught in schools with the same weight.

White privilege is a crude, simplistic and completely unrealistic model of ethnic and racial inequalities in this country. For example, educational outcomes are certainly skewed by ethnicity, but skin colour really seems to have very little to do with it. The most disadvantaged groups are gypsies and Irish travellers (white). The most advantaged are Chinese and Indian. Black African pupils tend to do a bit better than White British, while Black Carribbean do rather worse, as do Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Inequalities in employment, health, housing, etc, are no doubt different from those in education, I don't believe White privilege is really a helpful description.