This project extends our successful partnership with Afrori to further understand the need for anti-racist practice in education and improve confidence in addressing race equality in teaching and learning. The events of 2020 accelerated and prioritised anti-racism work in schools, universities, the city, the country and across the globe. Brighton&Hove council prioritised anti-racism work by developing a comprehensive Anti-Racism Education Strategy, including working with schools and libraries to encourage children to read books from a diverse range of authors. Afrori’s vital contribution to this work in the city included setting up anti-racist kids club (ARK), diversifying book lists and author visits to local schools.

This project was funded by the AHRC Ignite 3.2.

Using Afrori’s anti-racist kids workshops (ARK) as a case study to understand the effects of racism on pupils in a school setting, the project enabled us to offer Afrori’s ARK workshops in two secondary schools, Blatchington Mill and Cardinal Newman. For 6 weeks, we observed the workshops delivered by Carolynn Bain (founder of Afrori Books) to Year 7 and Year 9 pupils together with teachers and Brighton University students who are doing teacher training and/or are interested in a decolonial, anti-racist curriculum. The project has helped to understand the effects of racism and devise strategies and proactive implementations to mitigate these experiences of racism, improve children’s and teacher’s confidence in addressing and challenging racism. The weekly topics included:

  • ARK Club 1 What is racism and who cares about racism? – The most important person in the fight against racism is you/the child and not everyone else will care but that is their problem
  • ARK Club 2 Who is affected by racism? – We are all affected by racism. We miss out on the best of all people when we consider a race to be inferior to us. Inventions that we have never seen, songs we have never heard, friends we have never had.
  • ARK Club 3 – Who is responsible for racism? – Racism is not just about hidden people far away, but that sometimes it is people close to us who are responsible and look at how we have the power to identify and stand against that
  • ARK Club 4 – What can I do? – Not racist or anti-racist. What is the difference? To understand what it is to be proactive in our language and behaviour
  • ARK Club 5 – Who can help me? – We are not alone. To demonstrate the importance of allyship and how are voices are powerful when we are united
  • ARK Club 6 – Recap Week – What have we learned? Look back through our feelings sheets and other takeaways. Has anything changed for us. How do we support each other? What are key phrases we can use? How do we go forward from here? – Recap on reading list, including extra books mentioned.

Below are notes, reflections and images from the weekly sessions (in progress).

Comments from our Student Partner, Dru Hammett who is studying BA (Hons) Social Science:

‘I thoroughly enjoyed the ARK project at both schools, Cardinal Newman and Blatchington Mill. it enriched me with an insight into what people genuinely know about racism and how they feel about it – seeing this has provoked me to reflect on myself and the knowledge I have, hopefully, I can help others learn about the taboos on racism and create a safer and better world. it was interesting to see the amount of diversity in the classes in both schools I visited – however, I had noticed the lack of diversity within the teaching department which was a shame to see; I would like to become a teacher after my studies at the University of Brighton, and as a person who is of a mixed ethnicity i will do my best to try and close the gap and induce diversity. I want to thank Vedrana, Vy and Carolynn for this wonderful opportunity – it was good to expand my experience and perspectives on racism and talk to teenagers to provide a safe space.’

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