Historical, Systemic and Intersectional Antiracism: From Awareness to Action
Description
This Local Online Open Course (LOOC) was developed by Dr. Bathseba Opini, Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia (UBC) during the pandemic years, and it was first offered in 2021.
The course starts with introduction to the working definitions and the history of race and racism. The following modules are dedicated to the issues of racism towards different cultural groups leading to the final module 7, about allyship and solidarity. In addition to the course author, thirteen different scholars from around the globe have contributed with their thoughts and comments in interviews and conversations.
As stated in the course
In order to build an antiracist culture and society, it is critical that people engage in meaningful critical friendship and solidarity (in other literature critical allyship and solidarity is used). Critical friendship and solidarity should not burden Indigenous, Black and racialized people with the responsibility of educating people.
Everyone has a responsibility to end racism; take initiative and time to research, study and understand their role. Critical allyship is a proactive and ongoing process of learning, unlearning, and re-evaluating in which people in privileged positions work in collaboration and partnership with Indigenous and racialized people to dismantle systemic racism and other forms of oppression (Rochester Racial Justice Toolkit, n.d.1).
1 Rochester Racial Justice Toolkit. What is allyship? Rochester, MN: Rochester Racial Justice Toolkit; 2016. https://thetoolkit.wixsite.com/toolkit/beyond-allyship
The access to the resource Historical, Systemic and Intersectional Antiracism: From Awareness to Action is free. There is also a certificate version (fee $50 CAD)
Project Team
The project was sponsored by Dr. Blye Frank, Dean Emeritus.
- Dr. Hartej Gill, Associate Professor Department of Educational Studies at UBCTeam Lead
- Instructional Designer, Sharon Hu
Taken from the survey
It transformed how I thought about Anti-racism and as a white colonialist highlighted so many points that I previously didn’t consider as being racist. My attitude has been opened up and it has changed how I view so much in my everyday life, even when traveling to other countries, the radio/podcasts I listen to or the books I choose to read, and not just my teaching – all have changed and I approach the world through a different lens.
I highly recommend this course to everyone in my Ministry. It is one of the best online course that I have ever taken as it gave me the historical background and the understanding of all the interconnections, but most importantly the tools and confidence to stand up, to call in others to build systemic change and to fix our systems.
This is an excellent course for all levels of educators, no matter where you are at on your Anti-Racism journey. I hope that all districts support their staff in taking this course as part of their district wide anti-racism plans.
This is a well-designed course that addresses many important aspects of anti-racism work in a concrete and practical way. I appreciate the diversity of voices that were part of it, which made it even more powerful as we learned from authentic and strong voices. I recommend this course not only for personal growth, but also to bring it to your own schools and share it with your colleagues and staff, as it is a great way to start the conversation about anti-racism.
This was a thought-provoking course with a strong selection of scholars, researchers and educators leading the discussions. The diverse points of view are really helpful in tackling these important topics. I recommend saving the countless references on a dedicated tab in your web browser and you’ll have plenty of relevant reading to do even after the course is finished. I’m thankful for all the insights and provocations in this course. I am certainly not in the same place I was before I started.
