In September presenters hosting the Scottish Learning Festival anti-racism presentations were subjected to a barrage of racist abuse online. Later that month a Glasgow primary school was similarly targeted after it tweeted about a visit from Scotland’s first minister.

Now four educators who were subjected to those abusive messages or who have close knowledge of those events have come together to outline how their sector can -  and did - respond.

Anti-racism is our collective responsibility

Writer’s content warning: this article contains descriptions of racism and white supremacist beliefs that can be upsetting and triggering. 

Mélina Valdelièvre, who works for Education Scotland as programme lead for Building Racial Literacy, an anti-racist professional learning programme funded by the Scottish government, writes:

When I woke up to messages checking if I was OK, I braced myself. After a Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) session in September on decolonising the curriculum, I had become the target of Twitter trolls.

We had run an SLF session on diversifying the teaching profession, with the Scottish government’s Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce working group, and I had tweeted about it. This was in the context of only 1.8 per cent of teachers identifying as being from a black, Asian and/or minority ethnic (BAME) background, far from the 4 per cent target set by the Scottish government for 2030.

A parent on Twitter posted their outrage that we were “promoting there to be less Scottish teachers in Scotland”. I challenged the misconception that only white people can be Scottish. Overnight, my post was mobbed. To those trying to challenge the mob, I tweeted that these were white supremacist trolls not worth our time.

One troll argued that “white supremacist” is a slur against white people. (It should really go without saying that calling out racism does not mean being “anti-white”.) The trolls were expressing the white supremacist belief that only white people can be Scottish. To them, mixing is illegitimate and, in their minds, mixed-race people with Scottish ancestry aren’t ethnically Scottish.

As was also seen in the racist abuse faced by St Albert’s Primary School only days later, there were mentions of white genocide and replacement theory - extremist fears that migration and interracial procreation are forcing white people to disappear. Such narratives are breeding grounds for white supremacist radicalisation, and it’s because of them that, as a biracial person, I’ve been called a witch, an invader, a disgusting replacer, a mongrel and a parasite. A troll was quick to point out that I identify as Franco-Indian, so why do I even care?

I care because Scotland has become my home. I care because I know the damaging effect these racist narratives have on learners, educators, families and entire communities. I’ve witnessed parents afraid of complaining about racism in schools for fear of being told to leave if they’re not happy in Scotland. I’ve heard too many accounts of children trying to whiten their skin and educators having their professional judgement questioned because of their accent, skin colour and hijab.

It was, however, the first time in my career that so many education institutions had called out racist abuse with public statements of solidarity. That’s what anti-racist leadership can look like, but it shouldn’t stop there. It needs to grow stronger, bolder and braver, with words followed by action.

Racism in Scotland isn’t just a matter of a few trolls. On the Building Racial Literacy programme, we share the story of the child who said she didn’t expect her experiences of racism to change, because she lives “in Scotland, a white-person country”. That was not a result of being exposed to trolls, but of wider messages of inferiority and superiority, of belonging and not belonging, which are communicated by our collective biases, behaviours and practices.

Racism is our collective problem; anti-racism is our collective responsibility.

How one headteacher responded to racist attacks

Clare Harker, headteacher at St Albert’s Primary School, in Glasgow, writes:

It was a good day, a proud day for our children who were hosting first minister Nicola Sturgeon - our local MSP - as she led a national assembly on climate change. She spent time with our children and parents, spoke to staff, made us feel listened to and important. Ironically, she and I spoke about the online abuse she receives and I said that we would definitely get some racist tweets but not to worry; we’d report them.

And then it started. What can only be described as a tsunami of abuse, encompassing white supremacist ideology around replacement, death threats and cruel images designed to promote the idea of a white-only Scotland. All directed at eight-year-old children who were celebrating a good day.

In that moment I had to decide whether to stand up to the hundreds of public racist attacks against the children I work for, or put it down to trolling and hope it went away in the belief that “today’s news is tomorrow chip paper”.

I chose the former and it was the right thing to do. I wrote a statement, with support from the senior leadership team, asserting our position in standing up to racism and hoping that love touches the hearts of those who hate.

This particular attack, while shocking in volume and venom, was one of many our school community has experienced over the years. On reflection, the saddest part for me is that I wasn’t surprised and neither were our parents. Fighting, surviving, living with racism - whether overt, systemic, online, in a queue at the shops, on public transport - is the lived experience of most of our school community, and it is exhausting.

It happened on Friday night; by Sunday there was a plan. The first part of the plan was to create and open a safe space for parents and any other community members affected by the abuse. We had tea and sat together, and our staff - all of whom are white - listened. We heard horrendous experiences that can’t be unheard. The worst of which, for me, was how silenced our parents were when they were pupils.

I qualified in 1993. I need to accept that I have been working with a system that has silenced children. Think about what we have lost in that silence. What genius has been missed, what story unwritten, what potential unreached? I am reflecting on my part in this and challenge all of you working in education to do the same.

I can’t fix everything but I can create a space where I, all our staff and our parents have a voice to change things. I can work towards unsilencing the silenced. I made a decision to stand up to racism. This means that I advocate a complete overhaul of our curriculum and a renewed focus on the ”four capacities” of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, because within those are the skills and knowledge we need to create meaningful and lasting progress towards an equitable and anti-racist system.  

We must learn to be culturally responsive and create a strong Scotland that draws from the talents, skills, thoughts and beliefs of all who live here. As an educator, this is my mission and I will use my voice for this.

As the poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou is quoted as saying: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

• Background: Education bosses condemn racist comments on teacher CPD sessions
• Online abuse: Support pours in for primary targeted by racist abuse
• Related: Teachers share award for anti-racist education in Scotland

An education director’s view

Douglas Hutchison, Glasgow City Council’s director of education, writes:

In Glasgow we recently had the official opening of St Martin’s Primary and Sighthill Nursery. It was a great and inclusive celebration of the community in Sighthill, and there was a nice double-page feature with great pictures in the local evening newspaper.

However, there were also hideous online comments below the article about diversity and asylum seekers. But who do these comments represent? I don’t experience racism: I’m writing this as a white middle-aged and largely middle-class male. As with bullying, though, the onlookers often have a role to play. In schools when children call out bullying, they can make a difference; those of us who live a relatively privileged life need to do the same when we encounter racism.

The debate on Brexit followed by the rise of populist politicians has made it more acceptable to adopt extreme views. Even worse, social media has given those extreme views a vocal platform. People say things online that they wouldn’t in person - emboldened keyboard warriors - and in the echo chamber of social media there is always someone who will agree with an extreme position.  

Calling out extreme views when we see them isn’t enough, though. We need to increase the pace of change so that our workforce is more diverse and represents our communities - especially in Glasgow. We also need to understand the impact of racism on colleagues and young people in our schools. If you ask headteachers if they have a problem with bullying in their school, I suspect most would say it may happen but they deal with it quickly and effectively.

If you ask children and young people the same question, though, I wonder if you would get the same response. I wonder, too, about young people’s experience of racism, Do they get to the point where they accept that racist comments are just part of their daily experience?

When I was at secondary school, there were times when we had to run home as we got off the bus because the pupils getting off the bus behind knew we were from St Joseph’s Academy. They knew, from our bus and our uniform, that we were Catholics. Without these identifying features, however, they couldn’t look at me and see a Catholic. Our black, Asian and/or minority ethnic pupils can’t hide their race, nor should they. Yet narratives around migrants and asylum seekers in the UK diminish the value of some human beings and create a climate where it is OK to treat them as other.

It is up to each one of us in education to challenge racism at every opportunity and celebrate diversity - so that our schools and communities are places that welcome all of humanity.

Combating racism and promoting anti-racist education in Scotland

Nuzhat Uthmani, chair of the EIS teaching union’s anti-racist sub-committee and also co-chair of the Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce sub-group, part of the Scottish government’s Race Equality and Anti-racism in Education Programme (REAREP), writes:

In the aftermath of racist abuse towards myself and colleagues recently, I made a statement at a session of Education Scotland’s Building Racial Literacy Programme, in which I have been part of a team of facilitators.

I expressed my gratitude for the outpouring of support we received from individuals and organisations within Scottish education, but I encouraged colleagues to think about what happens next. Friends and colleagues who are not impacted directly by racism in their daily lives will make statements of support then carry on with the rest of their day. However, I and others who are subjected to such hate cannot move on. Instead, we are left carrying the burden of discrimination and hate, with an impact on our work, families, mental health and wellbeing. 

“Anti-racism” and “solidarity” should be seen as verbs - they require us to do something about racism whenever we see, hear or feel it. Offering verbal support is a small and welcome step, but in order to see positive change we need to do more.

While there remain no meaningful consequences for those who choose social media platforms to spread hate, I am grateful that in Scotland we are seeing lots of emerging approaches that aim to tackle the issue of race equality.

Here, therefore, I am focusing on a positive angle: on helping those who want to learn more about becoming a meaningful ally, on giving reassurance to my colleagues of colour that positive change is on its way.

And with that in mind, see below a list of useful websites and resources.

The Scottish government’s Race Equality and Anti-racism in Education Programme (REAREP)

Set up after the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2021, this brings together all the main stakeholders within Scottish education, as well as representatives of minority-ethnic teachers and young people, with the aim of making education approaches more reflective of the diverse Scotland we live in today. Details can be found here.

Education Scotland’s Building Racial Literacy Programme

Aims to help our profession become racially literate, which means being able to understand what racism is, how it manifests in society and how educators can identify it. More information is available here.

Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE)

One of the most dynamic leadership and mentoring courses available to minority-ethnic educators in Scotland. It aims to build networks and help participants challenge barriers within our organisational structures, while building confidence and self-belief. More details can be found here.

General Teaching Council for Scotland professional standards

The latest refresh of our professional standards in 2021 saw an emphasis on social justice, integrity and respect, which challenges us as educators to overcome bias and stereotypes. This means having uncomfortable conversations about our own sense of identity and how our lived experiences shape who we are. Meanwhile, the GTCS Equality and Diversity Hub highlights professional learning in this area.

Global Citizenship Education in Scotland Practitioners Network

Formed in May 2021, this network of educators from all over Scotland has a focus on equalities and social justice. You can join the network and take part in future events here.

Wosdec/Scotdec

Global citizenship charities such as Wosdec and Scotdec offer resources and professional development opportunities focusing on anti-racist education.

Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights

A fantastic resource for those who want to learn about the fundamentals of racism and how it manifests in many different aspects of society. CRER engages in research and evidence gathering in race-equality matters. Find more details here.

EIS anti-racism resources

The EIS teaching union provides learning packs and resources that help promote anti-racist education, as well as a leadership course for BAME educators. Find more information here.