Practicing peace: Towards a radical response to racism education

Racism education for university students and staff is usually left to the ‘cultural awareness’ activities run by Equity & Diversity Offices, Student Services, Faculty or Indigenous Centres. Their persistence and ‘hit and miss’ success rate would suggest the need for a rethink if only because they embed the problem with the potential ‘victims’ to convince the potential ‘perpetrators’ what they should or should not be doing. Racism education needs a more subtle approach, almost a mongrel cunning to move people into different ways of being in the world. The creation of a learning community which fosters an understanding and embracing of justice and peace is a whole of program approach. Beliefs and habits need to die the death of a thousand strokes rather than one crushing blow.