Section One: Using the Anti-Racist toolkit: A Reader’s Guide
1.1 Why do we need the toolkit?
1.2 Aims of the Anti-Racist Toolkit
1.3 The Sector
1.4 Reading and Using the Toolkit
1.5 The Action Plan: An Outline (this link takes you to a new web page)
1.6 Other ‘Toolkits’

1.1 Why do we need the toolkit? (back to top)
This toolkit has been constructed as part of a HEFCE funded Innovations project looking at the question of Institutional Racism in Higher Education, using the University of Leeds as its case study, and comes in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry (1999), Bhikhu Parekh's The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain (2000) and the subsequent passing of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

The Inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence (the Macpherson Report, henceforth referred to as the Report) centralised the issue of training and education by condemning the lack of recognition of racism by the police at all levels. Every organisation, including education institutions, was urged to examine its own practices with a view to tackling racism and disadvantage. The Report highlighted the importance of educational institutions in promoting anti-racism, valuing cultural diversity and in providing an appropriate and professional service to all people irrespective of colour, culture or ethnic origin.

Despite the difficulties and problems that many commentators have with the Report's definition of 'Institutional Racism', the Report, at the very least, highlighted the need for organisations and institutions to consider their policies and practices and assess the extent to which Black and minority ethnic staff and service users are treated fairly and equitably. What is more, following the publication of the Report, there can be no excuses for continuing to fail to move beyond good intentions in order to provide services and environments that respond to the UK's growing cultural diversity. What is clear is that institutions across the UK need to consider and rethink attitudes to Black and minority ethnic staff and students and actively address 'racism' by moving beyond the current climate of complacency that suggests these issues matter less in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) than in other organisations.

The questions we need to ask ourselves when looking at the policies and practices of HEIs in the UK are clear but often inadequately addressed, namely:

Are we doing enough to promote and serve the diverse needs and requirements of Britain's increasingly diverse student and working population?

Are we accurately identifying the diverse needs and requirements of Britain's increasingly diverse student and working population?

In what ways should a HEI be looking at what it says it does, and what actually happens in practice?

The lack of attention to 'race' and racism issues in higher education is worrying and indicates a need for the development of conceptual and methodological tools and resources to assess, review and reconstruct educational policy and practice. There have been some studies addressing specific areas of concern, such as the Carter, Fenton and Modood (1999) study considering the relationship between ethnicity and employment in HE (their research examined, for example, the change in the position of under-represented groups, the concentration of minorities on fixed-term contracts, the promotion and progression of minority staff and the 'fit' between student and staff populations). More recently, a major survey by the Association of University Teachers (AUT), which considered race issues and attitudes among academics and support staff in the old universities, revealed that racialised tensions are common in HEIs, with large numbers of Black and minority ethnic staff experiencing racial harassment, feeling unfairly treated in job applications, and believing institutional racism exists in the academic workplace (see, Bhattacharya, 2002 and Major, 2002). However, a more rounded consideration of the various functions of the HEI, which impact directly and indirectly on staff and student experiences, has been missing. The idea of an anti-racist toolkit thus addresses the need for a set of tools and resources that institutions are able to use in order to address racism across the diverse areas of their policy and practice.

This project has tried to assess the 'big picture' of institutional activity, whereas previous studies have been partial and selective, with particular attention being paid to the linkages and interactive effects across and between the following areas:

Employment;

Student Recruitment and Transition to Employment;

Teaching and Learning;

Research;

Contracts and Purchasing;

External Affairs.

Each of these areas has been subject to a series of questions and considerations, for example:

What should be the indicators of an 'appropriate and professional service' inclusive of minority ethnic communities?

What 'processes, attitudes and behaviours' may amount to racial and ethnic discrimination and disadvantage?

How do we address these 'processes, attitudes and behaviours'?

What mechanisms and criteria may constitute direct and indirect racial discrimination (taking into consideration, of course, the question of how racial discrimination interrelates with other areas of disadvantage such as gender, age, class, religion, sexuality, and disability)?

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1.2 Aims of the Anti-Racist Toolkit (back to top)
The Anti-Racist Toolkit Project was established following the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and the subsequent passing of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and identified a need to actively develop and enhance the equality and diversity strategy planning of HEIs. The project began in January 2001 and has conducted a review of issues around institutional racism and 'race equality' in the HE Sector using the University of Leeds as its case study. The research findings have informed the development of this 'toolkit'.

The project is due to be completed in September 2002 and, at that time, we will have completed a series of reports looking at the following areas:

1. Equal Opportunities Action Planning at the University of Leeds

2. Institutional Racism and Contracting and Purchasing Issues

3. Racism and Ethnicity: Research at Leeds

4. The Toolkit: Transferable Tools for Tackling Institutional Racism in HEIs'

5. Operationalising Institutional Racism: Conceptual, Measurement and Evaluation Issues

6. Racism, Diversity and Teaching and Learning

7. Institutional Racism and Student Recruitment

8. Institutional Racism: Perceptions and Experiences of Staff

9. Institutional Racism: Perceptions and Experiences of Students

10. Institutional Racism and Employment Issues

11. Final Leeds Report

The project has employed a number of approaches to assessing the various issues and organisational areas. In the first instance we examined the equal opportunities action plans of academic departments and administrative units at the University of Leeds and assessed the plans in terms of their references to 'race equality'. This was followed by the distribution of an email questionnaire to staff in twenty sample departments, the responses to which have informed the construction of this toolkit and examples from which will be included as illustration within the text.

We also conducted in-depth interviews with departmental/unit heads and staff members responsible for equal opportunities of these twenty sample departments, before moving on to an email survey of student attitudes, experiences and perceptions.

The aim of this 'toolkit' is to provide conceptual and methodological resources from which practitioners in the field can select and combine the implements and tools that best suit the needs of their own institution. Each HEI is a different space requiring different strategies, policies and activities in different measures at different times. Some HEIs may seem to have made very good progress but have, in fact, stagnated with regards to moving the issues and the debates forward. Other HEIs may seem to have done very little, but in fact have made big steps in a more recent period thus demonstrating a growing commitment to change and action. This toolkit is thus aimed at those making their first concerted efforts towards establishing a working and active policy of anti-racism and race equality and those whose policies are already underway but in need of more work. This toolkit aims to look at the breadth and depth of institutional operations and functions. Addressing racism is not just about admissions to courses and pass rates, or appointments and progression. The different headings examined by the toolkit reflect a more rounded view of how HEIs function and their potential impact as a positive force for change.

Anti-racism, however, should not be seen as 'simple' strategy for a particular problem. Racism is complex in its operations and compounded by other factors such as, for example, gender, disability and religion, thus affecting different people in different ways. The issues that impact on one particular 'group' will vary and thus be in need of different strategies and actions to address them.

This toolkit aims to empower staff and students and contribute to the development of a positive and rich environment in which all people, regardless of ethnicity, can work and/or learn. It will not be, however, a 'quick-fix' for institutions to apply to their own context in the expectation that racism will magically disappear … this toolkit is about making fundamental changes that will have long-lasting effects.

It is important for HEI members to understand that 'HEIs' are not a 'natural' entity but, rather, constructed to function in various ways and for the benefit of certain groups of people. There was a time when HEIs solely benefited and serviced the needs of white, privileged males. This, to a certain extent, has changed and HEIs have had to change to meet the needs of women, working class, Black and minority ethnic and disabled peoples. The HEI, as a social, political and cultural construction, can, therefore, make the necessary changes to meet the challenges and needs of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society. The questions are whether or not such institutions are willing to make the necessary changes and, of course, how those changes should be made.

This section breaks down some of the critical areas that we need to be mindful of when addressing the question of how racism operates in the HE context.


1.3 The Sector (back to top)
The HE sector has, until recently, remained relatively insulated from other policy developments in councils, schools, the health service and the police with regards to challenging racism and promoting ethnic and cultural diversity. Although these areas have been targeted in terms of tackling racism (see, for example, Osler and Morrison, 2000; Dadzie, 2001), there has been very little in the way of directly addressing racism in higher education. Policy responses and initiatives to issues around 'race' and ethnicity are very uneven across HEIs and between departments in individual institutions. This project identified an urgent need to develop comprehensive, co-ordinated and coherent strategies and to sharpen and develop organisational and management tools in order to change institutional practice. What is more, in the current climate, it is time that HEIs begin to re-conceptualise their role and responsibilities in a contemporary multi-cultural society. As the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry put it:

Racism, institutional or otherwise, is not the prerogative of the Police Service. It is clear that other agencies including those dealing with housing and education also suffer from the disease. If racism is to be eradicated there must be specific and co-ordinated action both within the agencies themselves and by society at large, particularly through the educational system, from pre-primary school upwards and onwards (Macpherson, 1999: 6.54).

Carter, Fenton and Modood (1999: 56-57) identified a need for what they called an 'institutional anti-racism', and it is this concept that we would like to develop here. The 1999 study suggested the following remedies to questions of 'institutional racism':

- Commitment needed from the top down;

- Institutions needed to recognise that racism is an issue for the entire institution and not simply the concern of Black and minority ethnic staff and students;

- Groups and individuals outside the institution to be involved in the implementation and monitoring of race equality policies;

- HEIs to take on board good practice from other sectors;

- Interview panels to be more representative;

- Linking of funding by HE funders to the achievement of Black and minority ethnic employment targets;

- Review of HEI curricula to reflect the histories, achievements and experiences of Black and minority ethnic peoples.

These issues will be elaborated upon and extended in the following toolkit as we develop the idea that HEIs need to re-consider, re-think and re-work questions around their responsibilities and purpose, in order to work towards a centralised mandate for progress and change. Core functions of the HEI are, of course, teaching and research, however the practices and operations of the HEI go beyond these core activities and into areas that may not immediately spring to mind. The HEI has established relationships in a myriad of ways with local and national communities. As an employer the HEI draws from a broad pool of workers, such as administrative and ancillary staff from a more local population or academic staff drawn from a more international pool. The HEI employs people directly to undertake a number of functions (teaching, research, administration, secretarial duties, security, purchasing, cleaning, maintenance and so on…). The HEI also has a great deal of spending power in terms of the various products and services it requires to keep the institution 'ticking over', new building works, services and so on. The HEI has a relationship with local communities in its vicinity, these include community organisations, local schools and colleges and the local councils. In so many ways, the HEI touches the lives of thousands of people. The authors of this toolkit believe that it is time to use this power and these relationships to nurture positive and progressive change in the field of anti-racism and the promotion of a positive multi-cultural environment in which all members of the staff and student population can thrive and benefit.

The failure of the HE sector to discuss and identify racism within its own policies and practices needs to be redressed. The sector has been willing, to a certain extent, to consider issues of 'race equality', usually subsumed within general discussions about equality across categories of disadvantage (gender, disability, sexuality, etc,), however, a focus on the specific effects racism and discrimination has on the sector has been absent. An unwillingness to address the extent to which racism, (often typified by an attitude of 'colour-blindness') structures and impacts on aspects of institutional process across the board has meant that questions around ethnicity and racism have usually been side-lined or deemed less important.

 

1.4 Reading and Using the Toolkit (back to top)
This document has been put together in order to provide a wide range of users with the resources and ideas to help institutions move forwards in terms of tackling racism and discrimination.

In the first instance, any application of the aims and objectives of this toolkit should have support and direction from the ‘top’ in order to demonstrate a commitment to improving the environment for all staff and students working in a HEI. This does not mean, however, that strong leadership should not work in conjunction with a ‘bottom-up’ approach. This process should work at all levels of the institution and not be seen as simply a grand statement of intent from the centre that has little or no impact across individual departments and units.

Our toolkit is not a list of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ that HEIs should follow in order to be a successful ‘anti-racist’ institution. Simply following such a list without actually attempting to engage with the issues does not address fundamental questions about attitudes and assumptions that structure relationships between staff, between staff and students, between students and between staff, students and local communities. This toolkit asks institutions to reflect and act upon a number of critical areas where there is potential for discrimination.

The toolkit is structured around the process of constructing an anti-racist action plan for your institution. Each section is broken down under a clear set of headings and, where appropriate, cross referencing and links to relevant sections are clearly sign-posted.

Section Two introduces some of the debates that structure this project, this section includes an overview of some of the issues about racism, anti-racism, whiteness and eurocentrism.

Section Three breaks down ‘the basics’, this includes what an institution is required to do by law as well as an explanation of terms such as ‘positive action’, ‘targeting’ and ‘ethnic monitoring’.

Section Four is broken down into a series of ‘organisational’ areas. These areas are based on the structure of the University of Leeds, where our research took place. In order for different institutions to make this action plan relevant to their own individual space and structure, we will explain what we mean by the various ‘organisational’ areas so that you will be able to make the plan relevant to your own institution. After we have identified the areas, we will identify a set of issues or problems that may be relevant and require attention.

Section Five will provide an outline about how to assess your institution. Our own investigation at the University of Leeds revealed that although in some areas the university was good on paper, that the links between policy and practice sometimes failed to come through in interviews and surveys with staff and students. As such, even if the paper policy is in place, you may want to step back and make a more rounded assessment of where ‘you’re at’. This requires consultation with staff and students at your institution. Don’t assume that just because you have a paper policy that this has a definite impact on the working and learning environment. In this section we’ll provide suggestions for the format of email and postal questionnaires; interview schedules for talking to staff and students at your institution and the other kinds of evidence you should be trying to gather in order to obtain a picture of where you’re at.

We hope that this toolkit will function in two ways:

Firstly, as a holistic plan for the entire institution and

Secondly, as a resource that can be ‘dipped’ into, section by section.

In this way although each section connects with another and will be clearly cross-referenced, individual sections will be able to be used independently if there are particular areas in your institution that you feel need specific attention.

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1.6 Other ‘Toolkits’ (back to top)
There are a number of ‘toolkits’ available that address the broad area of ‘equal opportunities’ in general and the question of ‘race equality’ and/or racism in particular.

The most comprehensive toolkit dealing with racism has been produced by Stella Dadzie:

Dadzie, Stella (ed.) (2000) Toolkit for Tackling Racism in Schools. Stoke-on-Trent, Trentham Books.
This toolkit is aimed at teachers who wish to address issues around racism and diversity in their schools. This includes considering the curriculum as well as the day-to-day policy and practice of the individual school.

Dadzie, Stella (ed.) (2000) Auditing for Equality. London, Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).
Dadzie has also published a broader resource for councils which assists local authorities in the auditing of their performance against the five levels of the CRE’s standards for racial equality in local government (see, Racial Equality Means Quality, 1995).

North Yorkshire Training & Enterprise Council (2001) The Business Benefits of Equal Opportunities and Diversity Management: A Toolkit. North Yorkshire, NYTEC.
This toolkit is aimed at businesses and signposts a number of useful considerations with easy-to-follow checklists and cross-referencing.

Open University (1996) Open Teaching Toolkit: Equal Opportunities. Milton Keynes, Open University.
This is a general equal opportunities toolkit aimed at teaching staff. It contains a number of useful sections and checklists.

Commission for Racial Equality (2002) The Duty to Promote Race Equality: A Guide for Further and Higher Education.
This document is designed to give practical guidance on how to tackle racial discrimination, and promote equal opportunities and good race relations.