Teachers play a vital role in tackling far-right populist movements and resisting their attempts to divide communities, members at the NASUWT Black Teachers’ Consultation Conference heard.
Hundreds of Black teachers from across the UK gathered to take part in networking events, advice sessions and take part in debates with experts and educators and heard from key speakers including Acting General Secretary Matt Wrack and Deputy General Secretary Jane Peckham.
Members were given advice on becoming more active within the Union, hearing from others who have followed the route into activism, which the NASUWT believes is vitally important so that Black members can represent their colleagues at the highest levels.
The theme of the gathering in Birmingham was ‘Bold Voices, Activism in Action’ and Mr Wrack said that now more than ever it was vital for the Union to continue to build its capacity to strengthen the fight for anti-racism and uphold the trade union values of unity and solidarity.
And he warned some politicians and others were attempting to “play an old game” of seeking to divide people and communities.
He said: “They want to play the game of divide and rule. It's a very old game, and touching on what one colleague said, frankly, the British Empire was a master at playing that game.
“Well, we are fools if we fall for it, and we need to stand up and build a movement that is prepared to challenge the racists, to challenge those who seek to divide us and to demand a better life for everyone, a better education system for everyone, and better public services for everyone.”
Mr Wrack said the NASUWT and trade unions played a central role in fighting back against racism: “This trade union can be central to that if we organise, because our values, the values of trade unionism, are unity and solidarity and now more than ever we need to put those into practice.
“Tackling far-right and populist movements is one of the major campaigning issues for NASUWT, and we're continuing to work with the TUC and with other trade unions and with organisations such as stand up to racism.
“We know that far-right movements are seeking to use schools and colleges to promote their divisive rhetoric, and that is resulting in violence and harassment in schools in the UK, and that's why we are continuing to urge all governments to take action to ensure schools are properly equipped to challenge and tackle these threats.
“That means embedding anti-racism in our training, within the union, challenging poor practices in schools and multi-academy trusts, and backing and supporting Black teachers to lead change themselves.
“Anti-racism cannot simply be a tick box. It's a trade union issue. It's a human rights issue, and I promise that I will put my experience, voice and leadership to the service of every member who's felt marginalized, unheard or unsafe, and together, we can build a union that is actively anti-racist by design, not just by intention.”
Ms Peckham told the Conference the NASUWT stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Black members and all teachers experiencing racism, marginalisation or inequality.
She said: “Racism is not just a relic of the past, it's a daily reality for far too many of our members, from recruitment to promotion, from classroom experiences to disciplinary processes.
“Structural racism persists, and when Black teachers leave the profession because of this, we all lose.
“Black teachers face barriers to progression, isolation in predominantly white schools and disproportionate disciplinary action, and this has to end.”
Ms Peckham said there was an ongoing process of “listening and acting” and she identified how the Union was pressing for policy change to address racial disparities in the workforce and the lack of support for Black teachers in training and induction into the profession.
She said NASUWT was committed to not just being non-racist but actively anti-racist.
She added: “We've been campaigning nationally and locally for anti-racist teacher training to be mandatory for recruitment targets and for underrepresented groups, stronger accountability on racial disparities in schools and MATs and an end to far-right populism, and particularly where this has infiltrated into our schools and colleges right across the UK.
“We have called out inspection bodies, including Ofsted, for failing to integrate the equality and diversity and inclusion practice effectively.”
But NASUWT did not just campaign on these issues, she told the Conference: “We offer specialist casework for members facing racial discrimination.
“We have strengthened our Black members networks across the UK, supporting peer mentoring, leadership development and safe spaces within which to organise. Our equality training program helps all school reps challenge racism in the workplace, because solidarity requires action.”
