Representation Matters Quotes

“In Britain and other White-majority countries, only White people can be racist because only White people have control over systems of power in this country. Black, Asian and minoritised people do not have control over any systems of power that could result in all White people being discriminated against. Whilst a Person of Colour can make negative statements about White people that reference the colour of their skin, this is not racism asit is not accompanied by a racist system of power. It exists simply as an 'incident' of racialised prejudice and has no real impact on White people other than, perhaps to trigger White fragility in those who hear or read it.”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“Peggy McIntosh (1989) talks about the invisible knapsack as an analogy for White Privilege: White people have unearned assets and experiences that they cash in on a daily basis. White privilege does not mean that White people do not experience hardship or difficulty; it refers to the fact that any hardship experienced will not be due to their race.”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“It is vital that children see meaningful images of people who look like them being represented in a positive way that celebrates and acknowledges difference. -Dr Stella Louis”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“If young children are frequently exposed to books containing images of people who do not look like them, or resources in the home corner which do not reflect their culture (cooking utensils, dressing-up clothes.... food), then they will come to believe that their attributes are of little value - this will have a negative impact on their racial identity. All children need to see positive images of people who look like them to enable them to think that they too can be successful and this is especially important for children who are racially minoritised. -Dr Stella Louis”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“There are four dimensions of racism:
1. Structural: This occurs where multiple institutions uphold racism.
2. Institutional: This can manifest itself in policies and practices that reinforce racist standards within a workplace.
3. Interepersonal: This is the relationship between people. It includes racist acts and microagressions carried out from person to person.
4. Individual or internalised: This addresses the individual. Internalised core beliefs and bias lead to subtle and overt messages that reinforce negative beliefs and bias lead to subtle and overt messages that reinforce negative beliefs and self-hatred”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“Equality is the planning committee.
Diversity is being invited to the party
Inclusion is being invited to the dance
Belonging is choosing a song”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“if the diversity is from one community, is it really diverse?”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator

“Ethnicity is often mistakenly associated exclusively with People of Colour, particularly in its use in 'official' terms such as BAME but equally when White people refer to 'ethnic clothes' or 'ethnic food'. However, ethnicity is a term that refers to any group of people who share an intersection of several factors of identity........ As such there are a range of ethnicities within the White population. eg Cornish ethnicity.”
― Aisha Thomas, Representation Matters: Becoming an anti-racist educator