In November, we celebrate Black Awareness Day. This event invites us to reflect on the importance of this issue for the progress of our society. We interviewed our Primary School Coordinator, Gabriela Fernandes, who explained how the anti-racist theme is a part of the curriculum and educational practices proposed by be.Living. Check out the interview:
b.L: Why is Black Awareness Day important for the school calendar?
Gabriela Fernandes: The significance of the date alone is indicative of the work needed to raise awareness and tackle racism. It’s illogical that a specific date is required to prompt individuals to consider the importance of being outraged, advocating for change, and transforming our inherently racist society. It’s crucial that this date appears not just on the school calendar, but on the national calendar as well. This urgency stems from the need to raise awareness about the nonsensical reality that 56.4% of the Brazilian population – that is, a considerably large community – experiences structural discrimination on a daily basis, including in their salaries. At be.Living, we approach this issue with year-long attention rather than as a one-time event limited to the calendar. Our school curriculum prioritizes this topic, keeping it at the forefront of our agenda throughout the year. On this particular date, which coincides with a holiday when we are not with our children, we provide extra challenges to be addressed before or after Black Awareness Day, in addition to our usual offerings.
b.L: Is it possible to detect systemic racism within the framework of education?
Gabriela Fernandes: Racism is inherent in our society and deeply ingrained in education. Evidence of this is present in the curriculum, textbooks, and the exclusive perspective of history taught purely through the colonizer’s eyes. Moreover, scrutinizing the Portuguese language and its vocabulary used to recognize and substantiate natives – like the phrases ‘savage’ and ‘tribes’ – makes it apparent that racism is prevalent. The method of presenting topics to children highlights further examples of racism in education. Our school’s objective is to unite Brazil’s and the world’s themes and histories, narrated from diverse perspectives, expanding the children’s outlook with the opinions of all concerned parties. A noteworthy event this year was the election of Ailton Krenak as the first indigenous person to be selected for the Brazilian Academy of Letters. The historical reparation policy known as the quota system has initiated a transformation of Brazilian academia. This change coincides with the growing enrollment of black students at the University of São Paulo (USP). Such structural changes underscore the necessity of modifying the school curriculum to incorporate perspectives that validate our country’s and people’s history from diverse viewpoints. Broad research leads to a more thoughtful comprehension of history. The curriculum currently in use at be.Living Elementary School is non-discriminatory. In Year 1, we introduce children to the African continent to help them understand its significance. During my own schooling, our education about Africa was limited to the colonizer’s narrow perspective, which portrayed black people solely as slaves, victims who were powerless. In reality, the black community played a crucial role in the abolition of slavery in Brazil, largely through their spirited resistance and activism.
b.L: How does be.Living address the perpetuation of racism?
Gabriela Fernandes: be.Living is a school that took on social responsibility years ago. We firmly believe that an anti-racist education and the fight against perpetuating racism can only be achieved through a curriculum designed in accordance with this goal. In practice, this means that all teaching and learning situations will take care to expand students’ horizons, with the aim of building a society based on greater equity. There is no justification throughout history nor humanity for an individual to earn less, or gain limited access to opportunities, solely on the basis of their skin color. As a private educational institution, we acknowledge our responsibility to ensure that children witness people of color occupying distinct roles in society, science, Brazilian culture, and across the globe, especially given our predominantly white student body. That’s why we carefully select our curriculum, from how we approach each theme to the readings, characters, painters, singers, sculptors, and authors we study. Our choices allow children to recognize black individuals as producers of knowledge.
b.L: Is there a training program available for educators and school staff to enhance their knowledge in this area?
Gabriela Fernandes: Yes, there are. When we decided to modify our curriculum, we recognized the necessity of providing training to our teachers. Changing the school’s curriculum without involving them would not be feasible. Thus, we enlisted the aid of Mafuane Oliveira, a researcher and educator teaching Brazilian Culture at our school, to assemble an anti-racist education team. In 2019, we conducted year-long training sessions with the entire teaching team of our school to promote a comprehensive understanding of anti-racist education and encourage the team to view the world from this perspective. The course made a profound impact on our curriculum and mindset. With the assistance of Mafuane, extensive work was undertaken to inspect our vocabulary and eradicate any terms that could be considered racist from our daily discourse. After the anti-racist training, we organized a teachers’ conference where we presented the work developed from this perspective. We made a substantial alteration to the curriculum by selecting different textbooks that offer a fresh perspective on the issue. This decision turned the curriculum, planning, and training into a continuous process. As the pedagogical coordinator, I oversee this ongoing process constantly. It’s a day-to-day job. It’s not a one-off job. That’s why November 20th is not a one-off date. If we want to change a racist society, we have to think about it every day. We need to question the fact that there are no black people in certain places. Until there is an indignation about this. Transforming society is not just a matter of external actions. Rather, it requires an internal shift first, and only once you feel uncomfortable with the status quo can you take action to effect change. Grada Kilomba, a prominent thinker, has had a tremendous impact on me. She posits that anti-racism fundamentally involves accountability, and that there are five key stages of this process: perception, guilt, shame, recognition, and reparation.
b.L: Can you explain a bit more about what an anti-racist curriculum is?
Gabriela Fernandes: The anti-racist curriculum validates all knowledge produced by the original and black peoples who built this country. It presents a comprehensive education that examines history from all sides, acknowledges various perspectives, and affirms the artistic, literary, and scientific contributions of participants. When reviewing the Revolts that shaped Brazil’s history, we delve into the popular uprisings and do not merely endorse the views of those in power, whether they be colonizers or the bourgeois. We acknowledge and affirm the contributions of all who were involved in these events. It’s crucial to note that there are two laws in Brazil, L10.639 and L11.645, which mandate teaching African, Afro-Brazilian, and indigenous history and culture in schools. Our work is grounded in this legislation.
b.L: How is anti-racist education implemented and experienced on a daily basis in schools?
Gabriela Fernandes: There are several practices, and I’ll provide some examples. One such example is the Sankofa project, implemented in the first year. Sankofa is an African ideogram that implies “it is never too late to go back and pick up where you left off”. This project is comprehensive and takes place year-round, examining Africa and the potency of black people. As a part of this project, students embark on an educational trip to the Afro Brasil Museum, where they study the contributions made by African people to Brazil and the Brazilian population. The second-year class examines the evolution of daily life in different time periods, analyzing the formation of São Paulo and the role its inhabitants played in shaping the city. One aspect of this project involves investigating residents’ dwellings and commute times to school to better comprehend the city’s infrastructure. At this stage, we suggest interviewing various individuals from the school. The children are recognizing that the majority of the school’s management and teachers reside nearby, whereas those responsible for cleaning the school live farther away. These are actual daily concerns observed by the children themselves, resulting in their awareness of a distinct way of life from what they are accustomed to.
b.L: What are the biggest challenges when changing old and entrenched thinking in the workplace?
Gabriela Fernandes: The biggest challenge lies with people themselves. We must train and inspire them to confront themselves and bring their attitudes to light. Because anti-racist work is essentially about self-knowledge, it requires a willingness to confront the most painful issues in our society. Once we are aware of them, we must take action and maintain our efforts on a daily basis. It’s understanding that cannot be showcased to others. It’s a constant effort, every day and every hour.
b.L: Is it already possible to witness achievements in this regard?
Gabriela Fernandes: The most significant accomplishment we observe is our curriculum. Our anti-racist educational plan is consolidated, starting in Year 1 with the Sankofa project and culminating in Year 5, focusing on Civil Rights and centered on the overall struggle of African Americans in the United States. The remarkable achievement lies in examining our syllabus and witnessing the effectiveness of its transformation and how it resonates with these issues. The children are too young to witness a significant alteration in their behavior. Our focus is on childhood, with the concept of planting the seeds for a fresh perspective on relationships and a new era of the nation. It’s fundamental human learning to join hands and yield to all individuals, with fairness, esteem, and appreciation.
