BC Teachers’ Federation • Professional and Social Issues • 604-871-1850

Speak up,Stand proud,Stop racism

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Secondary resources and strategies to teach about racismVideos and DVDsDVDs denoted by a * can be borrowed from the BCTF Information Services Department for up to two weeks. Please call Lesley Harrington at 604-871-2241 (direct line), toll free 1-800-663-9163 (local 2241), or email your request to video@bctf.ca; include your name, the title of the video, date required, school address, school phone number, and your email address.1. For Angela* is an excellent video to springboard into conversations

regarding racism against Aboriginal people. From the accompanying teacher’s guide, have students engage in the

following questions and activities:• Brainstorm lists of emotions felt by the following characters: Rhonda,

Angela, Ian, Ian’s friends, the bus driver, and others on the bus, and the principal of the school. Compare and show similarities. Who were the offenders, receivers, and witnesses of the incident? How did witnesses respond to the incident?

• Have students re-enact scenes where racism could be interrupted. What different actions could be taken?

• Identify with students what cutting off her braids symbolized for Angela. How did Angela respond to this incident? Why might she have responded in this manner? How do you think Angela, Rhonda, and Ian are feeling?

• Brainstorm the stereotypes that Ian’s actions perpetuated. Organize co-operative groups to “unteach” the stereotypes or to prepare a group presentation for younger students.

• Ask students to write a children’s book that would teach younger children about racism. Include offender(s), receiver(s), and witness(es) as characters in their story. Illustrate the book and share by reading to younger children.

2. Prom Night in Mississippi* is an excellent video that shows contemporary issues and the realities of racism. Prior to showing the video, ask students to predict when they believe the first integrated prom took place in this Mississippi school. During the video, use a response sheet to have students document the incidents of institutional and individual racism they see in the film. Ask students to report out their observations. Afterward, ask students how segregation based on race plays itself out within their social circles, peer groups, school, and community. As a follow-up lesson, work with students on how to challenge and interrupt racism within their school and wider community.

3. Black Gold or Black Coffee illustrates the colonial history of coffee production and introduces the concept of fair trade goods in a global economy. Ask students how institutional/systemic racism plays a part in the production and consumption of coffee.

4. Other BCTF videos and DVDs to borrow include:• Fallen Feather*: documentary on residential school survivors • Game Over: Gender, Race, and Violence in Video Games*: documentary

examines racial stereotypes; asks students to think critically about the video games they play

• Let’s Get Real*: antibullying video that deals with all types of oppression

• Not in Our Town*: shows a community taking collective action against hateful incidents in a town in rural Montana

• A Class Divided*: recommended for teachers to view as a resource. Documentary about an experiment by an elementary school teacher to illustrate racism with her Grade 3 students. The video can be used as a starting point for a discussion and an activity for the class.

Novels for literature circlesThe following novels and other literature deal with issues of race, racism, and cultural genocide that can be used in the classroom:1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Focuses on racial inequality and

discrimination when an African-American man is wrongly accused of raping a Caucasian girl.

2. In the Heat of the Night by John Ball. Centres on racial prejudice and discrimination against an African-American police detective who is assigned to work with a Caucasian police officer in the southern United States.

3. Obasan by Joy Kogawa. Based on the author’s own experiences telling the story of the internment of the Japanese Canadians in BC during World War II.

4. Smile Through the Tears: The Story of the Rwandan Genocide by Rupert Bazambanza. A graphic memoir of a survivor in the 1994 Rwanda genocide between the Hutus and the Tutsis.

5. Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegel. This graphic novel chronicles a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe and his son who is a cartoonist.

6. Caught in the Crossfire by Alan Gibbons. Explores racism and bullying from the point of view of teenagers in Britain.

7. White Girl by Sylvia Olsen. Set in modern times, and deals with racism head on in a real way. It points out cultural and philosophical differences on and off of a reservation.

8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossein. This novel, set in Afghanistan, provides a sense of traditional Afghan lifestyle and culture. It touches on issues of race, class, and gender.

9. My Name is Seepeetza by Shirley Sterling. This novel is written from an Aboriginal perspective and tells the story of a girl’s life in a residential school.

10. Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hooks. Feminist intellectual bell hooks presents a powerful account of growing up in the South.

11. Ravensong by Lee Maracle. This story is set in an urban Aboriginal community on the Pacific Northwest coast in the 1950s. It is a powerful book about what it means to be the marginal “other.”

12. Out on Main Street by Shani Mootoo. Focusing on a lesbian South Asian couple, this novel explores racial and religious diversity and gender issues.

13. Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian. Historical novel describes the life of a young boy living through the Armenian genocide in 1915.

14. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Explores themes of racism and homelessness. An orphaned boy looking for a home, experiences the sharp racial boundaries of society.

15. Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos. A moving and thought-provoking story of a Bangladeshi family’s experience as immigrants post 9/11.

Cross-curricular activities1. Have students play the game Bafa Bafa by Garry Shirts (can be borrowed

from the BCTF). The game focuses on cross-cultural understanding and awareness, which examines the feelings, attitudes, and reactions whenever one experiences another culture. It also helps students identify ways of behaving that would affirm everyone’s sense of belonging. Debrief with students after the activity (debriefing questions accompany game).

2. In groups, have students create slogans (in graffiti style) with antiracism messages and images. These could take the form of a poster or multi-media display. Tape the posters together to make a large graffiti wall. Ask each group to explain their images and slogan, leading the class in a discussion about racism.

3. Discuss examples of teen stereotypes in the media. Have students analyze the portrayals of people of colour in the media (television, film, music). Are they realistic or not? As an extension, students can interview an adult and ask to share his or her lived experiences regarding stereotypes. Have students present short excerpts from their interviews and brainstorm ideas about how these stereotypes can be challenged.

4. Show the clip from YouTube: “How to catch a racist” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIGpJ6VAzEU.

Have students write an individual reflection on the short video. Do a think/pair/share and have students report out their observations to the class. This can be a springboard to lead the class in a discussion about appropriate and effective ways to interrupt and challenge racism. In an extension activity, students make a music video that addresses racism and how to successfully intervene and prevent it in different situations.

5. For additional antiracism resources from the BCTF, go to bctf.ca/SocialJustice.aspx?id=17632.

Public service announcements about racismThese student-created public service announcements address stereotypes of various ethnic groups and can lead to rich discussions in the classroom. This could provide a springboard from which students could create their own public service announcements.• www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTs9Dwsd1-g• www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOXoRffciyY

Free BCTF workshops about racismThe following workshops are free professional development opportunities for teachers and schools. All workshops are three hours in length. Please book at least three weeks in advance.1. Socializing Justice—Taking action on racism This workshop examines the realities of racism today in Canada. It provides

some youth perspectives on racism and it also examines the concept of privilege in society. Strategies will also be discussed as to how to interrupt and disrupt racism in the classroom, school, and community.

2. Bafa Bafa (secondary) (Cross-cultural simulation game)/Rafa Rafa (elementary)

Participants experience what it is like to live and cope in another culture. Presenters will facilitate a discussion with the participants on what assumptions or perceptions they made, and the behavior they witnessed about one another’s culture. Analysis of common ground and barriers between cultures will be explored.

3. Responding to Racism through ART and Ally-building. This is a skills-based workshop on effectively responding to discriminatory

remarks and incidents of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Based on the ART program developed by Dr. F. Ishu Ishiyama (UBC), it is a powerful, practical way to promote awareness and empathy, and develop the skills to fight discrimination.

To book a workshop, visit bctf.ca/pd/workshops.aspx?id=233053.

Student workshopPeople’s Law School—Justice TheatreThis group comes to classes or school and gives theatre presentations on several issues including bullying and racism. There is a fee charged for this presentation www.publiclegaled.bc.ca.

March 2018 PSI18-0029