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Racism or not?
Invisible racism
Summary
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This is a moving debate exercise, where participants need to decide if certain sentences or situations represent racism.
Materials
Labels “Racism” and “Not racism”; list of situations (annexed); computer and projector (optional)
Procedure
1. Stick the two labels “Racism” and “Not racism” on opposites walls of the room. 2. Explain to the group that you are going to read some short situations and that each of them will need to decide if the situation is a manifestation of racism and position themselves in the room accordingly.
Explain that they can change their mind and move at any time. 3. Reach each situation, loud and clear and repeat it a couple of times.
Give time to participants to make up their minds and position themselves. You can also project each statement. 4. After the participants have positioned themselves on each statement, ask some of them to share why they are standing where they are standing. Remind the participants of the previously agreed meaning of racism as a mindset according to which some people are worth more than others. Do not encourage long discussions, especially if one of the same group of participants is talking.
Debriefing questions
• How do you feel? • Were you surprised by something and if so, what? • Which situation was the most difficult to decide on and why? • All of the situations are indeed examples of racism, according to our understanding of it. Would you agree and if so, why? • What manifestations of racism did we see in the different situations?
What other situations are there? Give examples from real life.
Annex: List of situations
• The sentence “Black people are monkeys” • They do not let Roma people in a bar, because two purses went missing the week before. • People from the UK no longer want their country to accept migrants from Bulgaria. • The sentence “Muslim people are violent” • The sentence “She is Black, but very beautiful” • George cannot vote because he is in a wheelchair and the voting station has stairs • A group of people vandalises a billboard showing two men hugging and calling for acceptance of the LGBTI community
