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This guide is specifically designed for teachers of higher education. For more general resources geared toward understanding antiracism, please visit our Diversity and Inclusion webpage.
This is a comprehensive collection of resources tailored specifically for instructors who are passionate about promoting anti-racism in their teaching practices. This guide is designed to support you in creating inclusive and equitable learning environments where all students can thrive.
Image created with Adobe Illustrator by Melissa Rothman
Within this webguide, you will discover a wealth of valuable tools and materials including:
Please be mindful that the resources offered originate from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, identities, and teaching experiences. We encourage you to critically evaluate their quality and relevance before incorporating them into your teaching. Additionally, this webguide is a work in progress, continually evolving as we learn and strive to advance antiracist initiatives on campus and within our communities. We value your input and welcome suggestions for additional resources. To contribute, please contact melissa.rothman@louisville.edu. Together, let's foster a transformative and inclusive educational environment.
As understandings of racism evolve, definitions now go beyond individual beliefs and behaviors rooted in racial supremacy. Prominent publishers like Merriam-Webster have revised definitions to reflect their systemic and institutional nature. These changes recognize the concrete impact of racism on society and culture.
Institutional or systemic racism encompasses widespread discrimination, bias, and unequal treatment that are ingrained within the structures and systems of a society. It extends beyond individual acts of racism and affects multiple institutions including education, criminal justice, housing, healthcare, and employment. This form of racism is sustained through policies, practices, and norms that uphold and perpetuate racist values, resulting in disparities and inequities.
—Merriam Webster (2023)
Angela Davis once said, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” Many argue that to create lasting significant change, current definitions of anti-racism such as the one shown above will likely evolve with increasing recognition of the prominent role racism plays in our society. As Ibram X. Kendi writes in How to Be an Antiracist:
The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'antiracist.' What's the difference? One endorses either the idea of racial hierarchy as a racist, or racial equality as an antiracist. One either believes problems are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of problems in power and policies, as an antiracist. One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an antiracist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist.' (9)
So rather than being defined simply as "opposed to racism," antiracism is beginning to be understood as a conscious and continued effort to dismantle the social structures that sustain racism in our culture. Or as Kendi puts it: "One who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea."
Screenshot of Merriam Webster's definition of allyship
—Merriam Webster (2023)
White allyship is the active support and advocacy of individuals who are white for marginalized communities, particularly people of color, in the fight against systemic racism. It involves recognizing and leveraging one's privilege to challenge and dismantle oppressive systems, amplifying marginalized voices, educating oneself about racism, confronting personal biases, and actively engaging in anti-racist actions and conversations. It is a continuous commitment to creating a more just and equitable society for all.
The term "pedagogy" refers to the theory and practice of education, encompassing the strategies, methods, and principles used for teaching and instruction. On the other hand, "antiracist pedagogy" specifically focuses on an approach to education that actively challenges and works to dismantle racism and its systemic manifestations. It recognizes that racism exists at individual, institutional, and structural levels within educational systems and aims to promote critical awareness, social justice, and empowerment among students. Antiracist pedagogy involves examining and addressing biases, stereotypes, power dynamics, and discriminatory practices within the educational context.
According to Kyoko Kishimoto (2016), anti-racist pedagogy includes three components: "(1) incorporating the topics of race and inequality into course content, (2) teaching from an anti-racist pedagogical approach, and (3) anti-racist organizing within the campus and linking our efforts to the surrounding community."
In essence, antiracist pedagogy is a specialized form of pedagogy that places a deliberate emphasis on addressing and combating racism, whereas pedagogy, in its broader sense, refers to the general principles and practices of education.
Blakeney, A. M. (2005). Antiracist pedagogy: Definition, theory, and professional development. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 2(1), 119-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15505170.2005.10411532
The choice of materials and hierarchy of information is not meant to imply endorsement of any specific views, beliefs, or practices beyond combatting racism in a general sense. Furthermore, the ideas expressed are in no way intended to do harm. As a cis-gendered, white woman who has benefited from systems of privilege, I acknowledge that the creation of this guide is inevitably limited by my own hidden biases. Therefore, I welcome any constructive feedback, particularly from BIPOC and other underrepresented members of the U of L community.
