For many of us, this summer will be like no other – as our ability to travel for holidays is constrained and as we face continued separation from our extended family and friends outside Singapore. I am planning a short staycation, hopefully together with both of my daughters if travel restrictions ease sufficiently.
I have been reflecting a lot in the last few weeks on #BlackLivesMatter, and the question of racism and xenophobia more generally. This has included reading many of the resources recommended by colleagues, parents, students, alumni and friends to inform myself. Some of these are listed below.
One of my favourite quotes, which I came across when exploring the collection of Antiracism Resources curated by my colleagues (linked below) comes from Nigerian politician Andy Obuoforibo:
Equal does not mean identical. Saying women and men are equal doesn’t mean one is saying men and women have no differences. It simply means those differences should not translate to different levels of access to benefits and opportunities in society.
The same could be said about any aspect of social injustice, including racism in all its forms.
I think I am not a racist. But racism isn’t a binary thing: not everyone either is or is not a racist. So in reaching out to the community in my first ever blog, I am aware that I run the risk of saying something which is unintentionally harmful. If I do, I know you will let me know. But I believe that’s better than saying nothing, or not reaching out – if now is not the time for uncomfortable conversations, when would be? In recent weeks I have had the privilege of talking to some of you, those who asked to meet, and discuss what the College’s emerging plans were for action beyond the early statement. I hope this blog will open up the discussion to others, and to all who wish to engage.
What does real anti-racism action look like? I have always been taught that if something is unjust, change it. So, I am listening and learning, challenging my own beliefs and prejudices and seeing my own privilege for what it is. I have found this video, White People Talking to White People about Racism, one of the most thought-provoking discussions I have seen in recent years about listening, and learning about race and privilege.
I see this moment as an opportunity to make change happen, through a coalition of diverse groups and with diverse interests and perspectives. I will be creating opportunities over the summer for those who would like to join in such dialogue, building on the views which we can start to exchange here.
Our next steps as a community will be a series of Zoom drop-ins over the summer period; subscribe to this blog for an email notification when the dates are confirmed. I expect that during these sessions, we will have some robust discussion, and I will be inviting feedback on how we can build further on some of the College's specific antiracism actions, which include the review of our UWCSEA Strategy using antiracism as a frame, the creation of a cross-campus working group to address diversity, equity and inclusion in practice, as well as opportunities for learning in our community through training and work in areas such as unconscious bias.
I look forward to hearing from you, and talking to you soon.
Carma
This growing collection of resources curated by a group of UWCSEA colleagues is usefully grouped under: Educating Ourselves, Learning with Students, Learning with Families, Learning with Others, and Ideas for Action.
A non-definitive list of reading, predominantly about antiracism in the US, based on books available through the UWCSEA Dover library. This collection is growing and we would be grateful for your suggestions.