Bluecoat Sixth Form Students speak out about Racial Injustice in Education
By Zaina, Year 13
Nottingham citizens is a campaign carried out by multiple institutes that are acting as a mouthpiece for ongoing vital issues that need to be addressed so that they are considered for legislative agendas and manifestos given that there is a general election in 2024 which is yet to be announced. This is done by being part in a conference with incumbent MP’s from local constituencies e.g. Alexis Norris Nottingham North and discuss how each ongoing issue is impacting our holistic welfare as a society. By being an active part of these conferences that are also known as actions, it enables freedom of expression and speech as you can vocalise what you truly represent.
On Friday 1ST December 2023 I gave a speech regarding discrimination in the schooling institution through the form of an outdated curriculum which reinforces white supremacy and glorifies Britain’s Colonial past which does not take the horrors people endured into account, which therefore leads to a spike in racism that has become a somewhat normalised concept despite encountering a modern society which advocates for the equality of opportunity for all civilians in this country but is ironically failing coloured people. Not only that, but I also shared my experience of discrimination that I had historically faced in a classroom environment only because I wasn’t accustomed to certain ideologies and norms that differentiated me from most of my peers and how a simple violation of the concept of a safe space led to me and many other coloured individuals developing generational insecurities like imposter syndrome. I also asked Mr Alexis Norris what the labour party would do to combat this issue going forward to which he replied that they would look at curriculum reforms and would consider measures to break this cycle. Furthermore, my experience at this action revolved around an array of issues, such as the primary and secondary impacts of immigration, how under protection leads to mental health challenges and how key workers like carers are being undermined and seen as insignificant. Due to being enlightened on these issues, this experience taught me the importance of having a moral compass that should align with the welfare of others and not just mine and allowed me to create a rounded permeation of what causes I would like to fight for since we’re the future of British politics.
Bluecoat Sixth Form have launched a listening campaign to gather the concerns of the school community to support our next actions.
