Pyramid of racism

Summary

In this activity participants explore different manifestations of racism and are asked to categorise them as hate crimes, visible racism and invisible racism.

Materials

Printed copies of the list of manifestations of racism (annexed); printed copies of models of the pyramid (annexed)

Procedure

1. Divide participants in small groups of four to five people each. 2. Give each group a copy of the pyramid. The task for the group is to review all manifestations of racism and to locate them in what they think is the appropriate part of the pyramid. (Depending on time and groups dynamics, you can either decrease the number of manifestations or also give them time to come up with additional ones). 3. Groups present their work and are then invited for a discussion in plenary.

Debriefing questions

• How do you feel? • Did you think of other examples? If so, what are they? • What was the most difficult one to decide on and why? • Why do you think the shape is a pyramid and not – for example – three circles or three squares? • Why is invisible racism in the foundation? (The foundation holds the rest of the structure: we would not have physical assault at the top, if there was no foundation to hold it) • What is the underlying idea in visible and invisible racism? • Manifestations of invisible racism are widespread, normalised and we do not take them very seriously. What are the consequences of it, however?

Annex: List of manifestations of racism

• Genocide (physical eradication of people from a certain race or ethnic origin); • Racist-motivated beating (e.g. “Let’s go and beat some Blacks”); • Jokes (e.g. “A Jew and Black guy enter a bar…”) • Proverbs • Sustainable phrases (e.g. „Like a white person”) • Compliments which degrade groups you belong to (e.g. “You are educated, not like the others from your ethnic group”) • Generalizations (“Don’t hire an Indian person. A friend of my sister was

Indian and he was very unreliable.”) • Stereotypes (“Women cannot drive”) • Myths (“They are genetically more stupid”) • Calls for violence (“We should fight against the Muslim invasion with any means”) • Funny nicknames • Political actions (e.g. evictions of Roma families, but not touching illegal hotels) • Rejection of services (e.g. not serving Latino immigrants in a restaurant) • Segregation (putting children from one ethnic group in one school or a class within the same school) • Distant treatment (physically avoiding proximity with someone because of skin colour) • Discrimination at the workplace (systematic rejection of hiring or promoting certain groups – due to origin, gender, etc.) • Degrading on personal level (an official speaks to some clients politely and with respect, and with others informally) • Presumptions on outer appearance (“She has funny eyes, she must be Chinese”) • Dehumanising (comparing people to animals or insects – monkeys, dogs, cockroaches, rats, parasites, etc.)

Annex: Model of pyramid

Hate crime

Visible racism

Invisible racism