MYP4s on Anti-Racism

Camille Genty - Together in Diversity: Break the Chains of Racism

Together for change: confronting racism with courage and strength

Racism harms individuals, communities, and society as a whole. By allowing prejudce and discrimination based on race, it perpetuates inequality, erodes trust, and denies people of their dignity and rights. Fighting racism fosters inclusivity, unity, and justice, enabling everyone to reach their full potential without facing barriers based on their identity. Ending racism creates a more compassionate and fair world, where diversity is celebrated and valued, leading to stronger communities and enriched social experiences for adults and children. 

How to implement anti-racism in schools:

• Education: teach the history and effects of racism, fostering empathy and understanding. 

• Diverse representation: ensure textbooks and materials reflect different cultures and perspectives. 

• Zero tolerance: enforce strict policies against racist behavior with a clear reporting system.

• Training: provide anti-racism and bias training for staff and students.

• Inclusive environment: promote diverse clubs and activities that give all students a voice.

• Community involvement: engage parents and the community in discussions and events on racial equality. 

• Student initiatives: support student-led groups and projects that promote racial justice.

These steps help create a school environment that values inclusion and actively fights against racism. 

Amelija Sveke - Together against racism: How can we make a difference

On November 13, 2021, a terrible incident involving the suicide of Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor, a 10-year-old Black and autistic girl from Utah, who took her own life due to enduring and constant bullying from her peers[1]. This tragic loss acts as a painful example that discrimination and bullying in our educational institutions is genuine, and the consequences can be severe. As students and teachers, we need to consider how to avoid this situation in the future. [1]

Why Should We Care?

Racism is not just a topic in history books—it is happening today, in our classrooms and hallways. How many students, like Izzy, are silently suffering because of harmful words, discrimination, or exclusion? How many students like Izzy are still suffering from this? Schools should be safe spaces for everyone, but when racism goes unchecked, it creates an environment of fear and isolation. We all have a responsibility to act now before more students are hurt.

What Can We Do to prevent this?

1. Make safe spaces: The school could make a space where students feel safe from the outside and can tell some trusted person about what they have heard or what has happened to them.

2. Culture days: We should organize culture days where students can celebrate and learn about each other's culture, for example, their music, clothing, traditions, and food. These events could encourage accepting and breaking down stereotypes, helping students connect and respect one another.

3. Anonymous reporting system: Put in place a system where students can report racism or bullying anonymously. This gives students a safe space to talk and report things they don’t feel comfortable telling out loud.

The Time to Act Is Now

Izzy’s story reminds us that we can not stay silent. We must work together to create communities where every student feels valued, safe, and respected. We should ensure that no one else has to suffer in silence. What will you do to help stop racism?

[1] Joseph, Elizabeth, '10-year-old Utah Black and autistic student dies by suicide weeks after scathing DOJ report on school district', CNN News, <https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/12/us/isabella-izzy-tichenor-utah-bullying-claims-suicide/index.html>, accessed 18 September 2024.

Erika Korhonen - Erase the Hate, Don’t Discriminate!

When someone is treated unfairly due to the color of their skin, their origins, or their culture, that person is a victim of racism. For those who are impacted, it creates pain, hurt, and fright. It damages people personally as well as weakening and dividing our educational community. We need to act promptly to make sure everyone feels safe, appreciated, and respected. By speaking out against racism, we can develop a positive environment where all students may succeed. Let's work together to create a welcoming and supportive environment at our school for all students.

In brief, it must be noted that fighting the problem of racism in our school as well as preventing any further occurrences will take hard work and everyone—students, teachers, staff alike—has to work towards the realization and equally pull in the same direction. It is essential to understand, use policy, and dialogue in order to achieve or develop an environment that is quite harmonious. We need every one of us to help build that type of society, the one where everyone is treated with respect and includes understanding. At one end, we can guarantee that no raising of voices of any individual within our school will be tolerated irrespective of the race, ethnicity, or preference of such an individual; at the other end, every individual within the school will not be forced to bear the apathy which stems from racism. Let’s see how we would be able to accomplish this aim and help create an environment in which every student is able to reach their full potential.

Anonymous - Together Against Racism

Racism is more than just discrimination. It’s a state of mind some people have that judge others due to their race, ethnicity and beliefs. This behaviour can have some very bad effects on people, like making them scared, sad, or even mad. If we manage to implement an anti-racism system for our school, the students will be able to feel safe and respected by everyone. By adding a zero-tolerance system, we can make sure that our school is a safe space for every one of our students!

A way to stop racism could be something called ‘Culture day’ where students can explicitly show their cultures.

• Clothing - Students can dress in traditional cloth from their countries

• Food - We could cook food from our countries and share with their classmates

• Cultural discussion - Students can make a presentation, poster or a tiny text explaining their culture with everyone

This could be a good way to let students discover more about their classmates and others, it will also help including respect for our differences. It can bring the MIS community together and exclude racism from our school grounds.

Other schools have implemented such events like Bournville School, Trinity High (UK), AFONORTH elementary school, Childwall Academy and many more! Another reason to implement this is a good idea is because cultural days in schools help input inclusivity and break down stereotypes; it is also a place and day when students celebrate diversity and reduce prejudice and racism. Programs like this even increase the cultural awareness and empathetic conjecture in the mind of a child. According to a 2019 research study by Dessel and Rogge, a school environment is usually more united and has less racial tension if the appreciation of culture forms part of the school curriculum. These activities have a good effect where students of different backgrounds mix and turn into one community, both accepting and understanding each other. This would be a metaphor that realizes cultural integration. In celebrating diversity, schools create an environment in which racism can’t find it’s place. 

Dessel, A., & Rogge, M. E. (2019). Education and dialogue: Tools for reducing racism in schools. Journal of Social Issues, 75(3), 556-572.

Mikolaj Lyko - Rising Above Racism: Rallying for Respect in Our School

Education and Racism don't fit:

Racism is a serious problem, which affects millions of people across the globe. That includes our school. It is very unfair to treat someone negatively or to discriminate them just based on their race, skin colour, or ethnicity. Sadly, countless people still face racism, which onlly causes harm to the individuals affected but also it damages the community. As intelligent students and teachers we have a unwritten responsibility, to stop racism from spreading and sharing positivity throughout the school so everyone wouldn’t have to worry about their own genetics and culture

What is racism and how to fight it?

Racism has a lot of ways to show itself, as a harmful comment and joke to a violent act of aggression. It’s avery damaging way of communication. Harming not just the individual but us all. When racism spreads chaos, division, fear, hatred and a toxic community follow. It’s an unwelcoming environment. Creating anxiety or low self-esteem especially for students. changing a safe educational place to an anxious group of divided kids not wanting to interact at all.

If we wont to prevent such an environment we need to stop racism. But hey how do we do that? Together we need to educate ourselves to have a better understanding on Racism. Together we should speak up to racism telling the teachers and telling our friends how harmful it really is. Together we shouldn’t take difference as something to make fun of, it should be something we cherish and celebrate with each other. By doing such things we will make our school a peaceful, calm and united community that can be proud of fighting of one of the biggest problems that this world has to offer. Let’s commit to making out school a better place! Together!

David Gyulay - Bystanding Is Not Enough!

Racism

Racism is apparent in all four corners of the globe, even in this school, sometimes it's laughed at as a joke, sometimes it’s used as justification for treating people differently, sometimes it can even ruin lives. Younger generations happen to use racism as a joke, laughing at it and using it for joy, the effect of racism varies from person to person, even in the younger generation. However, usually, the older one gets the more he realises how bad racism really is.

You also might ask how it can ruin lives? Well, there are a variety of ways it can; First of all you can be framed, lets say your at work and you get framed for being racist against your colleagues, you will get fired, or, if you are in school, you might get excluded or suspended. 

Second of all; a racist friend group, a racist friend group cannot ruin lives, but it might ruin a few years of your life, some friend groups differ from others, some can say racist jokes and you all laugh it off, and some might take it too far by actually being racist. Every time you meet them they would say racist comments, which could hurt one’s emotional aspect, and they might exclude you.

But how can we stop it?

Here are three techniques that you could use or implement in your daily life to help stop racism around you. Number one; Social media. Social media can contains lots and lots of racism, on every video or image you scroll through, there is a high likelihood you come across at least one racist comment, now, you could start a discussion in the comment section against it, or, you could report the account for racism.

Now, sometimes, even you are a little racist, so, what I believe would help the most, would be if you would take some time, everyday, to reflect a bit on your actions and thoughts and address yourself if you were or are being even a little racist, then, if you think so, I would like you to think about how you can change that and start putting it into practice.

Here are some websites to help you stopping racism around you;

https://nnedv.org/latest_update/8-everyday-ways-to-fight-racism/

https://mesa.umich.edu/article/10-ways-be-anti-racist

And, last but not least, the final technique is very simple, it is simply to befriend people from another race as yourself. I know it sounds weird, but, it can really change the way a person thinks, and it sends a message to others around you that promotes cross-cultural friendship.

Sofia Divan - RACISM: Neverending Ideologies: 

Delving into the misguided ideas and mindsets of racism and how they affect everyone

Where do racist mentalities derive from? 

Historically, we all come from one continent: Africa. Evidently, over the course of 6 million years we have evolved, mutated and adapted differently based on where our ancestors have migrated to, making all this the reason behind our differences today. [1]

So, if we’re all from the same place but have simply moved away, why do we make our differences such a big deal? It all started when we began labeling and separating ourselves. As time passed, it then went to cultural ideologies and mindsets that were and still are being passed on. There is no simple answer, nor a completely accurate one as there are many.

These concepts and beliefs have been around and developed throughout time, and consequently aren’t always deliberate. Frequently, those with racist beliefs have been influenced by the environment they grew up in; In this case, the environment being filled with racist views which ended up having an impact on the one living in it. This is because when one is taught to think a certain way at a young age, it sticks to them for a long period of time. These early influences which have shaped the mindset become progressively harder to unlearn as they mature, and as a result end up affecting others negatively.

For us to truly understand why and where these racist thoughts and perspectives really come from, we have to try to understand and inform ourselves on the cultural and historical backgrounds of people first.

[1] Introduction to human evolution (2024) The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program. Available at: https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution#:~:text=Humans%20first%20evolved%20in%20Africa,different%20species%20of%20early%20humans (Accessed: 19 September 2024).