Anti-Racism Definition and Significance

Anti-Racism Series: Topic Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Anti-Racism Series
Part 1:
Definition and Significance

Overview

Just as racial inequities and disparities permeate society, these inequities also appear on campuses, in curricula, and in classrooms. In his most recent book, How to be an Antiracist, Kendi defines an anti-racist¹ as: “One who is expressing the idea that racial groups are equals and none needs developing, and is supporting policy that reduces racial inequity” (2019, p. 25). Implicit in Kendi’s definition of an anti-racist is the expectation of actually doing something. Neither inaction nor silence offer pathways to equity. He suggests, “…the only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it – and then dismantle it” (Kendi, 2019, p. 9).

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Significance

As evidence-based course design suggests, we should first seek to understand the characteristics of our learners in order to strategically plan our courses (Fink, 2005). Of particular relevance, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC²) is an inclusive term which highlights the identities and distinction between Black and Indigenous people, in contrast to other people of color. For more on where the term comes from, see this recent New York Times article. UC Davis is an increasingly diverse campus: approximately 77% of all degree-seeking undergraduate students (with known race/ethnicity) at UCD identified as other than White/Caucasian in Fall 2019 (UC Davis Student Profile, 2020). Of all US Citizen and Immigrant undergraduate students, 71.8% identified as BIPOC.

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Taking Responsibility

As educators, we can intentionally infuse our professional practice with actions in support of anti-racist ideals. We can all contribute to this race and equity work, so that the entire burden does not fall solely on Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). Beginning with a vigilant self-awareness, we can interrogate our own experiences and unconscious biases (see Implicit Bias series), disrupting the privileges from which we may benefit. Reflecting on privilege, acknowledging racism and white supremacy (see Figure 1) can help keep focus on our anti-racist work.

¹ Throughout this resource, we have followed the spelling convention normative at UC Davis, which includes a hyphen. At times, we spell the term without a hyphen, to honor preferences of referenced authors.
² BIPOC is a fluid term (see Deo, 2021), chosen for this particular social context.

In taking responsibility for what we know and don’t know, we must educate ourselves and strive for higher levels of cultural competence and humility (see Part 3 for resources). Becoming culturally competent is committing to the practice of cultural humility which involves continuous exploration of ones’ own cultural beliefs and intersecting identities through self-reflection, and self-critique as a precursor to learning about, interacting appreciating and respecting different cultures; it is a process that requires humility (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998). Indeed, cultural competence is a life-long journey not a destination. We must then act to apply these new learnings to our course design and interactions in our classrooms.

Anti-racist classrooms should attend to our students’ collective trauma in ways that address their experiences and cultivate a climate built to empower, uplift, and celebrate the differences. Decolonizing our curriculum (or questioning from whose perspective it is written), teaching history, and including scholarly contributions representative of the students in your course work toward these goals. Listening without judgment, addressing perceived slights, and actively engaging in and facilitating respectful and productive discussions that may feel uncomfortable, are ways we can take anti-racist steps in our classrooms (Simmons, 2019).

To ensure that all students have the opportunity to be successful in the college classroom, it is important for instructors to consider the ways that their identities, and the identities of their students, are salient to teaching and learning. Classrooms are not culturally-neutral spaces as “students cannot check their sociocultural identities at the door” (Ambrose et al, 2010, p. 169-170). It is therefore crucial that instructors engage in pedagogical practices that acknowledge, celebrate and are inclusive of students who come from various backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Creating inclusive spaces within the classroom is a vital anti-racist enterprise that can help ensure equitable opportunities exist for all students to thrive.

Beyond general inclusiveness (see Part 2), as anti-racists, we must specifically be aware of and attend to more. While we cannot necessarily dismantle the structural racism embedded in our institutions individually, we can collectively work towards the dismantling, one class and course at a time. We do have control over our courses and are singularly in charge of each of our classes. Therefore, we have the power within our classrooms to establish policies that either reproduce or reduce inequities. We can create environments with a focus on interpersonal interactions that challenges bias, confronts microaggressions, and facilitates uncomfortable and charged discussions that foster growth.

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Microaggressions and Charged Discussions

A landmark study published in 2007 defined microaggressions as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative...slights and insults” (Sue et al., 2007: p. 271). Microaggressions are often unintentional or automatic, come from well-meaning people, and may leave everyone involved uncertain about what happened.

While the research on microaggressions is ongoing (e.g., Bartlett, 2017, Lilienfeld, 2017), students, faculty, and staff on college campuses do report experiencing these daily “indignities” (Sue et al., 2007). Over time, microaggressions can inhibit the academic performance of students as they experience increased feelings of discomfort, self-doubt, isolation, and emotional exhaustion (Solorzano et al., 2000); undue stress and feelings of exclusion (Yosso et al., 2009); hopelessness and even post-traumatic stress disorder (Nadal et al., 2011). Additionally, microaggressions can often be explained in ways that absolve the perpetrator of responsibility, implicitly delegitimizing the experience of the targeted person (Sue et al., 2007). This type of gaslighting, in which the person experiencing the microaggression is made to feel that they are imagining things or being “overly sensitive,” can be just as detrimental as the microaggression itself (Sue, 2010). However, to be anti-racist in the classroom means that it is more important to center the experience of the person experiencing the microaggression rather than the intent behind the microagression.

Microaggressions can and do occur in the classroom. However, their occurrence can be an opportunity to stimulate potentially generative dialogues, though success in facilitating such conversations depends strongly on instructors’ abilities to recognize and respond to microaggressions in the first place (Sue et al., 2009). Being anti-racist includes maintaining a vigilant self-awareness, educating yourself, and acknowledging racism and white privilege. It is imperative that when you see racism, you say something (Simmons, 2019). Recalling that anti-racism is rooted in action, below are some practical strategies to address (preventatively and responsively) microaggressions perpetrated in the classrooms:

• Proactive Measures in the Anti-Racist Classroom
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  • Consider sharing the ways in which you have been conditioned by the circumstances of your life and society. Revealing yourself as (e.g., sharing instances where you may have demonstrated an implicit bias or where you’ve made mistakes but learned from them and made changes) will encourage students to take risks by sharing their experiences and thoughts, and communicates courage in approaching conversations about difference and relationality.
  • Be willing to accept a different reality and truth than your own. It’s likely that if you have a different background and circumstances than your students, the experiences, feelings, and views they share may not resonate with your own.
  • Consider using micro-affirmations. “Micro-affirmations,” (Rowe, 2008) are small acts of support that foster inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for people who may feel isolated or invisible in an environment. Using micro-affirmations can “communicate to students that they are welcome, visible, and capable of performing well” (Powell, Demetriou, & Fisher, 2013). Micro-affirmations can include making concerted efforts to use students’ correct names, pronunciations, and pronouns, and rewarding positive behaviors.
  • Anticipate “hot button” topics or comments. Identifying and considering your response to these “hot button” topics ahead of time will help you respond effectively in the moment (Goodman, 1995). Questions you might ask yourself include: what issues, comments, or points of view might provoke a strong personal response in you? In your students? What topics are currently charged on campus, in the news, on social media, or in our larger society?
  • Be intentional and prepare questions/guides that facilitate thoughtful discussion. Discussion guides can also provide you with a way to engage students in critical discussions in constructive and appropriately challenging ways. Brookfield & Preskill (1999) identify types of questions that can keep discussions moving and focused on learning goals. Questions that ask for more evidence: e.g. “How do you know that?” Questions that ask for clarification: e.g. “Can you think of an example?” Open questions that require more than a yes or no response: e.g., “What did the author mean when she said…” Linking or extension questions: e.g. “How does your observation relate to what we discussed last week?” Hypothetical questions: e.g. “If this event had happened today, what role do you think the internet might play?” Cause-and-effect questions: e.g. “What is likely to be the effect of raising the average class size from 15 to 30 on the ability of learners to conduct interesting and engaging discussions?” Summary and synthesis questions: e.g. “What remains unresolved or under debate about this topic?” Consider that conversations need not always arrive at solutions.
• Responsive Measures in the Anti-Racist Classroom
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  • Sometimes when charged topics come up unexpectedly in class, it is because a student makes a remark that is hurtful or offensive to others. Other times, it is simply an unexpected turn in a conversation. Either way, how an instructor responds can have profound implications for students’ experience (Sue et al., 2009; Goodman, 1995). In either case, it is good to address the comment promptly.
  • Think ahead to what portions of your class might spark charged conversations. Consider your course content, and work to develop specific strategies for handling those moments. If you’re stuck, this resource and others can help.
  • Ask follow up questions, particularly if a student has made a comment that’s potentially offensive or hurtful. This can help to clarify what they meant, which might not be what you heard (for suggestions with language, see Part 2).
  • Ask students to freewrite for a few minutes about the issue. This can allow things to calm down, and give you some time to re-group. It’s also a great way to emphasize the “teaching moment” such comments often present. Ask students to reflect on what they could learn from the conversation. Clarify what is inappropriate, however.
  • Consider how best to address the comment or charged moment. Ignoring these comments can be tempting, especially if you feel uncomfortable, but that will send the message that such comments are okay. Instead, take pause and decide whether to address the topic as a class, address it with a small number of students outside of class, or address it in the next class meeting. Taking a deep breath and counting to 10 can be a useful way to decide slowly. If you decide not to pursue the discussion, you should still address the comment and say that you will return to it during the next class or outside of class. Then prepare in the meantime, and revisit the topic at the next opportunity.
  • If you decide to pursue it, immediately legitimize the discussion. Avoid changing the subject or dismissing topics of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, citizenship status, disability, etc. as they arise (unless you are clear that you will return to the topic in the near future). This dismissal is itself a type of microaggression against some students.
  • Use a direct approach to facilitating the discussion. Don’t be a passive observer, or let the class take over the discussion. It is also important to avoid engaging in tokenism; students are not “representatives” speaking for an entire identity group, nor should their identity and/or experiences be leveraged to make up for your lack of comfort or knowledge. The A.C.T.I.O.N. Framework (Souza, Ganote, & Cheung, 2016) is one method for effectively responding to microaggressions in your classroom. This framework includes: Ask clarifying questions to assist with understanding intentions; Come from curiosity not judgment; Tell what you observed as problematic in a factual manner; Impact exploration; Own your own thoughts and feelings around the impact; Next steps (Souza, 2018). For example questions and comments associated with this framework, see this article.
  • Acknowledge and respect the experiences and feelings of your students. Avoid questioning, dismissing, or playing down experiences and feelings that your students share about issues of difference and power. They are trusting you when they share their experiences and feelings.

• Acknowledgements
• Michelle Rossi (Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Educational Effectiveness; PhD Candidate, Sociology) and Kem Saichaie (PhD, Director of Learning and Teaching, Center for Educational Effectiveness) developed this resource. Additional contributions were made by Monica C. Esqueda (PhD, Program Manager, Betty Irene Moore Fellowships for Nurse Leaders and Innovators); Vickie L. Gomez (EdD, Director, UC Davis Campus and Community Engagement); Colleen Bronner (PhD, Associate Professor of Teaching, UC Davis Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering); Julia Houk (PhD Student and Associate Instructor, UC Davis School of Education); and Rachel Stumpf (PhD, Education Specialist, Center for Educational Effectiveness).
• Citation
• Rossi, M., & Saichaie, K. (2021). Anti-racism series. Just-in-Time Teaching Resources. UC Davis, Center for Educational Effectiveness [CEE]. Retrieved from http://cee.ucdavis.edu/JITT 
  
  Anti-racism Series © 2021 by Michelle Rossi and Kem Saichaie is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
• References
• Bartlett, T. (2017, February 12). The shaky science of microaggression. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Shaky-Science-of/239150 
  
  Bensimon, E. M. (2016). The misbegotten URM as a data point. Los Angeles, CA: Center for Urban Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. 
  
  Blackburn, S. (2019). What is the model minority myth? Learning for Justice. Retrieved from https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-is-the-model-minority-myth 
  
  Brookfield, S., & Preskill, S. (1999). Discussion as a way of teaching: Tools and techniques for democratic classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 
  
  Deo, M. E. (2021). Why BIPOC fails. Virginia Law Review Online, 107, 115–142. 
  
  Fink, L. D. (2005). Integrated course design. IDEA Paper #42 (pp. 1–7). Manhattan, KS: The IDEA Center. 
  
  Goodman, D. (1995). Difficult dialogues: Enhancing discussions about diversity. College Teaching, 43, 47–52. 
  
  Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. New York, NY: One World. 
  
  Lilienfeld, S. O. (2017). Microaggressions: Strong claims, inadequate evidence. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(1), 138–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616659391 
  
  McNair, T., Bensimon, E., & Malcom-Piqueux, L. (2020). From equity talk to equity walk. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass. 
  
  Nadal, K. L., Issa, M.-A., Leon, J., Meterko, V., Wideman, M., & Wong, Y. (2011). Sexual orientation microaggressions: “Death by a thousand tuts.” Journal of LGBT Youth, 8(3), 234–259. 
  
  Powell, C., Demetriou, C., & Fisher, A. (2013, October). Micro-affirmations in academic advising: Small acts, big impact. The Mentor. Retrieved from https://dus.psu.edu/mentor/2013/10/839/ 
  
  Rowe, M. (2008). Micro-affirmations and micro-inequities. Journal of the International Ombudsman Association, 1(1), 45–48. 
  
  Simmons, D. (2019). How to be an antiracist educator. ASCD Education Update, 61(10). 
  
  Solórzano, D., Ceja, M., & Yosso, T. (2000). Critical race theory and campus racial climate. Journal of Negro Education, 69, 60–73. 
  
  Souza, T. (2018). Responding to microaggressions in the classroom: Taking ACTION. Faculty Focus. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/responding-tomicroaggressions-in-the-classroom/ 
  
  Souza, T., Ganote, C., & Cheung, F. (2016). Confronting microaggressions with microresistance and ally development. POD Network Conference. 
  
  Sue, D. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. 
  
  Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M. B., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271–286. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.4.271 
  
  Sue, D. W., Lin, A. I., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., & Rivera, D. P. (2009). Racial microaggressions and difficult dialogues. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(2), 183–190. 
  
  Tervalon, M., & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2010.0233 
  
  Yosso, T., Smith, W., Ceja, M., & Solórzano, D. (2009). Campus racial climate for Latina/o undergraduates. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 659–691. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.79.4.m6867014157m707l