Race Equality
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” — Nelson Mandela
Early years practitioners have both a legal and moral duty to take into account a child's race and ensure every child develops a positive sense of self and is able to fulfil their potential. Although some settings might not be very diverse, we need to remember that we live in a diverse world and it is important that children are receiving positive messages about race and diversity. We need to challenge negative messages so children and adults respect and value themselves and each other. It is believed that children as young as 6 months of age can detect differences in skin tone and hair texture, therefore a "colour blind" approach in Early Years will and unintentionally disadvantage some children 't and give a message that their identity doesn't matter in our nursery. By acknowledging and celebrating differences in race, ethnicity, and culture, we are helping to celebrate a child's identity and helping them to belong, to feel loved and to know that they matter.
Liz Pemberton has created the 4 E's of Anti-racism for Early Years settings. These are:
Embrace all children’s racial, cultural and religious backgrounds.
Embed a culture of belonging and value amongst practitioners and children.
Ensure that practice is culturally sensitive and that the child is positioned as the expert of their own identity.
Extend learning opportunities for the child by showing interest, expanding conversations and using culturally appropriate resources.
Here are some links to help embed Anti-Racism in your Nursery setting:
This Education Scotland site has valuable information to help you on your Anti-racism journey. With LInks to Professional Learning and Further Readings, it is a fantastic resource for all educators.
promoting-and-developing-race-equality-and-anti-racist-education.pdf
Discussion Questions for Self-Evaluation and Development
How can your setting embed an Anti-Racist ethos?
Are all children represented in their setting through literature, play spaces and displays?
Do you understand the idea of Unconscious Bias? How do you deal with it in a professional manner?
Does your setting have an Anti-Racism policy? Could it be added to your Inclusion policy?
If racism was a problem in your setting, how would you go about dealing with it?
