Glasgow pupils lead fight against racism in schools

“It is horrible, when someone is racist,” says the 15-year-old, simply.

Fellow founder member of the East End school’s Anti-Racism Club, Struan Young, 16, adds: “It makes you feel sick, when you see it happening to your friends.”

Romario Kamau, 15, says: “The club is about raising awareness. Some people make racist comments and don’t even know they’re doing it, or laugh it off as a joke. It’s not a joke.”

Summer-Rose Dickson, 16, adds: “I think the club has made a difference, because people are at least talking about it more. But we want to do more, because more needs to be done, in schools and in the community.”

This group of fifth year students will be front and centre at today’s (Thursday, October 12) launch of Glasgow’s Anti-Racism Charter.

Councillor Christina Cannon, city convener for education, said: “The charter is the ideal vehicle to set out our commitment to the crucial development of work in this area and something that Glasgow schools have been focusing on for many years.

“It is a way of embedding good practice for all, and helps to break down any barriers to learning that any child or young person in our city might face.

“We know that we still have a lot to do in this area, but we are looking at the whole service to bring equality across our schools and nurseries and across the city.”

The school's Anti Racism Club will showcase their work at PARTIE 23 (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

The launch will take place at PARTIE (Promoting Anti-Racism Together in Education), Glasgow City Council’s annual celebration of the work being done in schools.

Across the city, pupils are diversifying libraries, engaging in hate crime awareness projects and increasingly looking at the curriculum through an anti-racist lens. The popular theme of “mirrors and windows” – children need stories in which they can see themselves, and stories through which they can learn about others - is used to inform resource choices.

At Smithycroft Secondary in Riddrie, the groundbreaking Anti-Racism Club is coordinated by principal teachers Gemma Walters and Rebeca Long, who have shared their own experiences as people of colour.

“It didn’t start because we sat down and said – let’s launch an anti-racism club,” explains Gemma, who is Principal Teacher of Equity at the school. “It grew out of conversations we’d been having with young people who wanted a safe space, where they could talk about the kind of incidents that were happening in the school.”

Those incidents were “mainly name-calling”, says Gemma.

“They stopped short of physical violence, but it is important to note that using the N-word, for example, is an act of violence,” she adds.

“As teachers, of course it’s hard to hear young people are experiencing things like that. But now they feel empowered, they feel like their voices are being heard.”

Rebeca adds: “What’s great is that the club is going to be replicated and used as a blueprint for other strands of equality in the school. We’re really proud of that."

The young people, including Pavleen, Romario, Struan and Summer-Rose, have worked hard to introduce a range of projects and initiatives, including a new structure for racist incident reporting.

Romario says: “We’re also doing work around decolonising the curriculum, such as in music, which is always about orchestral scores and Scottish stuff. More world music could make it more diverse. The same in cookery – instead of making cookies all the time, you could open it up and introduce foods from different cultures.”

The Drumchapel High club is making a difference by helping to stamp out racism in the school (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

The school, which is the only one in Glasgow to offer pupils an activism elective, a 12-week course tackling a range of subjects including race, identity and power and privilege, is working with Drumchapel High on a project highlighting the city’s links to slavery.

“There are statues of people in George Square who did terrible things, and yet we all just walk past them every day,” says Struan. “We’re not saying knock them down, we want to see plaques put up that explain the stories behind them, so people can understand it better.”

Drumchapel High will also be showcasing their Anti-Racism Club at PARTIE 23, spearheaded by president Sheila Mateo Feliz, 16, vice-president Amrita Amrita, 14, and 16-year-old Aisha Gharzai and her sister Usra, 13.

Sheila, Aisha, Amrita and Usra with teacher Angel Hinkley (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

Sheila explains: “The Anti- Racism Society has been very effective. We think it has made a difference.

“It shows our school values us, and listens when we tell them about racist incidents.”

The club members designed their own artworks which fill the walls of their meeting room (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

The club, co-ordinated by maths teacher Angel Hinkley, has participated in Education Scotland's webinars on Building Racial Literacy, presented an anti-racism session to school staff and created a website, badges and artwork.

The club has designed its own badge to raise awareness (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

“Sometimes, people don’t know they are being racist but when you talk to them about it, they understand,” adds Sheila. “Our school has many diverse  nationalities – I am from Spain, the sisters are from Afghanistan, Amrita is from Portugal, for example – but we can all learn from each other.”

She adds with a smile: “And we also celebrate, and have fun.”