Educators need to understand representation and challenge their thinking, one teacher said.
Aisha Thomas’ book, Representation Matters, helps teachers ensure that a student’s “racist experience is not an obstacle” to their learning.
The project was spurred by a Runnymede report on racial differences in Bristol published in 2017.
The Bristol teacher said the book will help educators “go beyond tokenism” but that there is “a long way to go”.
In the book, 22 children, retired educators and teachers share their experiences in the classroom.
Former Bristol student Shaheim Minzie, 17, who appears in the book, said if representation in education doesn’t change, people will feel they “don’t deserve to be part of mainstream society”. .
“Due to lack of representation, I felt like I had to split myself in two,” he said.
“At home with my Jamaican Patois-speaking parents I was able to embrace my black identity, but at school I was only able to express my British side.
“I really want to thank Aisha. I hope the book helps change things.”
Bristol teacher Lana Crosbie, 20, said the education system “needs to change”.
“I think in the last three or four years there has been an appetite for equality as a whole and within that racial equity in schools. But there’s still a long way to go,” she said.
“We all know what happened to Child Q, about the disproportionate exclusion of people from black backgrounds.
“Aisha’s book is a positive example of what representation means, it’s not just about having a symbolic brown or black person around.
“As educators, we can either use our platforms positively or continue to roll through the status quo.”
Ms Thomas said the book “is not meant to solve people’s problems”.
“It challenges thinking and allows educators to question who they are and how they show themselves,” she said.
“Learning for people in the inner city should be as good as it is at any top school. I want to make sure their racist experience isn’t an obstacle.
“This is not a white man’s problem or a black man’s problem, it is a US problem and the only way it will improve is if we work together.”
Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Submit your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk
Add Comment