Nursery World - Anti-racist leadership: part 3

Continuing her series on anti-racist leadership, this month, Liz Pemberton focuses on language

One of the most common questions that I get asked during my training is, ‘Liz, what can I say and what can I not say because I don’t want to offend anybody?’

The non-statutory guidance document, Birth to 5 Matters, states that ‘talking about race is the first step in countering racism’, and it is something we must never forget if we are committed to working towards creating an anti-racist thread that runs through the early years. We must understand that anti-racism goes hand-in-hand with dismantling the ableism, patriarchy and classism that forms the bedrock of our sector and wider society.

In the previous features we have discussed why we must start holding up a mirror in our sector so that we can more honestly examine how racism can show up in practice. We’ve also looked at why it is important to consider our personal anti-racism journey before starting conversations about race with each other and how to embed a culture of belonging. Now we are going to focus on language.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included