Why and how might racism affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian classrooms?

Educational Foundations, Semester 1 - April 2020

Racism remains widespread in Australian schools, particularly towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This form of bullying can have serious mental and physical lifelong consequences, and can deter their future employment careers and aspirations as they become more disengaged and discouraged. Racism comprises any form of overt, covert, conscious or unconscious structure, including political and procedural, that places a specific group of people over another. Whether intentional or unintentional, these systems do not consider the needs, cultures, customs or histories of others. Racism can happen in the schoolyard, during school sport or in the classroom, by other students, teachers or administration staff alike, via either tolerating racism or perpetrating it themselves.

Findings from the 2017 Australian National University “Speak Out Against Racism” survey saw that nearly 37% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students across New South Wales and Victoria have been verbally discriminated against, 22% had not been included by peers, and 20% had been physically abused or threatened. Most surprising, 20% of students reported being discriminated against by their own teacher. 

Any level of racism, whether macro, micro, intentional or unintentional, can affect not only the individual and their identity, but also their group, collective, and cultural membership. Zubrick (2005) found that children of Aboriginal carers born prior to 1966 who were part of the Stolen Generations are already at higher risk of developing clinically emotional or behavioural difficulties. Priest and Stevens (2016) also found that these carers who experienced racism were more likely to report illness in younger children below the age of 7. This infamous act of racism not only directly discriminated against those involved, but the generations that came after them. Priest et al (2011) explored how racism has become an undermining factor for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They found that students associated racism with anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies and overall poor mental health and quality of life. Increased levels of stress and lowered self of identity and self esteem often lead to dysfunctional coping strategies. Zubrick (2005) found that they had increased levels of health risks, such as alcohol consumption and cigarette and marijuana use. 

Not only does racism affect the physical and mental health of an individual, but also academic and future career aspirations. Heightened experiences with racism are associated with lower grades across english, mathematics and science, as well as general academic disengagement. This is because students who have been racially discriminated and judged based on the colour of their skin, or viewed with tokenism, are more likely to have poor motivation to attend or participate in the classroom. In the saga of Australian Rules Footballer Adam Goodes, he was judged and belittled because of his race in spite of his achievements. ABC’s ‘The Australian Dream’ (2019) documents how Goodes lost his love and enjoyment for football. Where he once felt as if it was a safe place for him, a place of acceptance and meaningful teamwork, he now only feels the constant racial vilification, which eventually led him to quit. This same situation can be translated into a school environment. Where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students may once have enjoyed school, after they have been subjected to racial vilification and discrimination, the enjoyment may not be worth enduring such unfair treatment. They become likely to avoid and fear these enduring difficulties in peer, teacher, and employer relationships due to racism, as well as having to withstand more subtle, covert racism in their everyday lives.

The prescribed curriculum in schools is often deemed as what is important. What is not taught or spoken about is inadvertently devalued and viewed as insignificant. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content that is included in the prescribed curriculum by the government, throughout their ‘cross-curriculum priorities’, does not recognise the importance of the indigenous perspective, only the content. In the Visual Arts Victorian curriculum, for example, a content description is presented, ending in “including artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” The inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives seems like an afterthought simply to fill a certain expectation. By stating this, the curriculum draws attention to the “otherness” as an act of positive discrimination. In the case of Visual Arts, should not these examples be used as an expectation based on merit, where each individual is treated the same? To create and present a completely equal curriculum is a hard task, but not impossible. 

No matter how teachers attempt to enact the prescribed curriculum, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are experiencing racism. Yates (2017) describes how students need to acquire the knowledge to be able to teach others about the past, and learn how our actions can and have affected others. Only this understanding of how racism affects all involved, can society become inclusive to all.