“Anti-racism is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organisational structures, policies and practices and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and shared equitably.”
– NAC International Perspectives: Women and Global Solidarity
Anti Racist Cumbria was formed to ‘tackle and end racism through action and education to create a forward thinking and actively anti-racist Cumbria; free from prejudice and systemic inequalities’ We encourage everybody to learn how to become a partner in the Anti-Racism movement and how to be an ally to people from Black, Brown and other Minoritised groups.
What is Racism?
Racism is when people are treated unfairly or disadvantaged in some way because of either the colour of their skin, their ethnicity or their religion / faith.
Racism works by using historical stereotypes that were created to generate, uphold and maintain wealth and power in society. This hierarchical concept was based on the idea that being white and Christian is better, and placed Black people at the bottom. This is still ingrained in society today. This is white supremacy.
At its most extreme white supremacy demands ‘racial purity’.
This means “the eradication of Jewish people, the enslavement of Black people, the subjugation of all other people of the Global Majority; the conversion or eradication of all non Christian religions and the elimination of impurities” * These so-called impurities include the LGBTQ+ community , people with a disability or neurodivergence, Gypsy Roma Travellers, and any form of ‘interracial’ relationships.
*Andy Lulka, quoted in Raising Anti Racist Children by Britt Hawthorne with Natasha Yglesias
What is Anti-Racism?
Is an active process to work against racism. It differs from simply ‘not being racist’, which is passive. It recognises how racism can happen without individuals necessarily meaning for it to, and that it can even happen without a recognisable individual ‘victim’. Anti-racism encourages conscious efforts and deliberate equitable actions intended to provide equal opportunities and outcomes for all people on both an individual and a systemic level.
Anti-racism examines the unearned privileges and power imbalances between racialised people and non-racialised (white) people in society. It is an active process of change culture that involves challenging and eliminating societal structures and individual biases/beliefs that uphold individual, institutional and systemic racism. Anti-racism should not be confused with multiculturalism, which is a process that examines difference or celebrates diversity through song, dance and food. It is about understanding how race and racism affects the lived experience of Black, Brown and other racialised groups, becoming aware of how white people participate, often unknowingly and unwittingly in racism, and actively working towards a more equitable society.
Ally:
A member of a different group who works to end a form of discrimination for a particular individual or designated group. For example, a more privileged group or individual may work to end a form of oppression that gives him/her privileges; this could be men who work to end sexism or White individuals who engage in anti-racist work.
Allyship is “taking on the issue of racism and oppression as your own issue, even though you’ll never truly understand the damage that it does.” Ben O’Keefe – activist
Anti racism isn’t comfortable, just like racism isn’t comfortable for Black, Brown and other Minoritised groups.
Anti-racism asks you to listen more than you speak and to do your research. Ignorance by very definition is a lack of knowledge, so the only way to break down ignorance (your own ignorance and the ignorance of others) is through education. It is really important to learn the history of the struggle you’re putting yourself into, to learn about the systems of oppression that exist, and how you’re complicit in them.
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