Addressing anti-Asian racism, resources to support educators

Posted March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021


This month, the Upper Grand District School Board’s Equity Team shared with staff a resource on addressing anti-Asian racism.

Communities in Canada have reported an increase in anti-Asian racism since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2020 report from Statistics Canada showed that Canadians with Asian ancestry were more likely to perceive an increase in racial or ethnic harassment or hostility since the beginning of the pandemic. This increase was most pronounced in those with Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian ancestry. And police services in Canada have reported increases in anti-Asian hate crime.

As one step in helping to address this racism, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) and TDSB collaborated to create a resource for educators on addressing anti-Asian racism, which serves to empower educators to take action against anti-Asian racism.

The resource collaborators state that, “The outbreak of COVID-19 has seen an increase in racist violence towards Asians and people of Asian descent and has affected the health, well-being and safety of educators, students, families and communities in which we serve.”

The resource available to UGDSB staff utilizes an anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework, as it supports educators in deepening their knowledge and addressing anti-Asian racism both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The resource also centres Black and Indigenous voices in the fight against racism.

This resource is one of many available to support UGDSB staff in their commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive learning and practices.

We all have a role to play in learning, unlearning and working to dismantle racism and oppression in our communities. If you’d like to learn more about how to respond to COVID-19 racism, Learning for Justice has resources available on its website: https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/how-to-respond-to-coronavirus-racism

For additional parent/guardian resources in anti-racism and anti-oppression, visit the UGDSB website at www.ugdsb.ca/equity.

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