TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents
INTRODUCTION:

Racism for Reel: Media for Change .......................................................... 3

Working Together ................................................................................ 4
Making the Most of This Guide ................................................................ 5
Safety Matters ................................................................................... 6
Framing the Issue ............................................................................... 7
The Art of Debriefing ........................................................................... 8
PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES:

#1 Taking Stock ............................................................................ 10-11

#2 I Know / I Wonder .................................................................... 12-13
#3 Both Sides of the Story ................................................................... 14
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITIES:

#4 Debriefing Racism for Reel ........................................................... 16-19

#5 Tapping Into Privilege ..................................................................... 20
#6 The Many Faces of Racism ........................................................... 21-22
#7 Flower Power........................................................................... 23-24
#8 Where Do We Stand ................................................................... 25-26
#9 Mapping Diversity ...................................................................... 27-28
#10 Writing Our Way Home .............................................................. 29-30
#11 Re(discovering) History .............................................................. 31-39
#12 Role Plays ............................................................................. 40-41
#13 Sphere of Influence .................................................................. 42-43
#14 Moving Along .......................................................................... 44-46
APPENDICES:

Contacts and Resources .................................................................. 48-51

Glossary ..................................................................................... 52-55
Package Evaluation Form (Teachers) ....................................................... 56
Package Evaluation Form (Students) ....................................................... 57
Acknowledgements ........................................................................... 58
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 MAKING THE MOST OF THIS GUIDE

Meeting Your Needs

The exercises provided in the Racism for Reel: Media for Change have been designed to:
• expand or contract to fit varying time constraints

• accommodate a range of learning needs and degrees of comfort and trust within your class.
They could be used to enrich a couple of hours of classroom time or to provide structure for a
module lasting an entire week.

Given the sensitivity of the subject, and the time it could take to establish a 'comfort zone' in the
class room, we suggest dedicating at least 2 full periods to it, and would recommend a full 4
class periods.We encourage you to read through all of the activities in order to choose the ones
that will be most effective and appropriate for the specific needs of your class. As well, make
sure to carefully read the section titled, Before taking this program to the class (see p. 6) in
the Introduction, and The Art of Debriefing. (see p.8).

Racism for Reel is designed for a facilitation approach, rather than a classic teaching approach.
For those who have little experience with facilitation, a day or series of days in facilitator
training is highly recommended to enhance the experience for both you and the youth
participating.

If time constraints don't afford the opportunity to read through this guide in full or to dedicate
more than 2 class periods, we recommend the following lesson plan.

2-3 class period lesson plan:

BEFORE watching the video: 20-40 minutes

Introduction: 5-10 minutes

Organize participants in a circle and introduce the premise
of the workshop (i.e. to generate understanding regarding
sexual identity and to tackle discrimination).

Safety Matters: 5-10 minutes Meeting curriculum goals:

Brainstorm’Ground Rules’ (see p. 6)
Ice Breaker(s) - optional (see p. 6) This Package successfully meets
Hand out copy of Resources to each participant many of Prescribed Learning
Outcomes set out for:
Pre-viewing Activities: 10 - 20 minutes · Career and Personal Planning
“Taking Stock” (p. 10) or “I know I Wonder” (p.12) (Grades 8 through 12)
· History
VIEW the video: 20 mins · First Nations Studies
· Social Studies
AFTER watching the video: 40 minutes - 1 hour · Media Studies

Post-viewing Activities:
“Debriefing Racism4 Reel” (p.16) 20+ mins
“Mapping Diversity” (p.27) or “Role Plays”(p.40) 6
Racism for Reel Guide
 #4 DEBRIEFING RACISM FOR REEL P3

MEDIA STEREOTYPES:

Were you surprised to realize that Christopher Jones was the

police officer and not the criminal in the On the Run public
service announcement? What does this tell you about your
preconceived notions? What do you think are some of the things
that helped to shape these preconceptions or ideas? Do you
believe that the media shapes our perception about what
‘criminals’ “look like” or does it simply reflect the realities of
the criminal world and those who participate in it?

Adam talks about getting caught by the cultural stereotypes of

what “a really black man” is supposed to be. What do you
think that he means by this?

Looking around you, what sort of images do you see in the

media about Native people and people of colour? Where do you
think these stereotypes come from? What role do you see the
media playing in either challenging or recreating stereotypes?

Just before reading her spoken word piece Romina stated that
she needed to “stop censoring” herself and “get things off her
chest, even if it hurts people.” What do you think of this
statement? Do you think there are ever circumstances in which
it’s ok for people to ‘let off steam’ like that?

INTERNALIZED RACISM:

One of the videos clips shows many images from ads and
magazines. What kinds of people do we see in these magazines?
What kinds of people are ‘missing’? Do you think fashion
magazines promote the notion that “white is right”? How do
you think this affects different people’s self esteem?

In the video at least two people talk about a period of their

lives when they didn’t want to admit that they were Aboriginal.
What would motivate someone to feel this way? What kind of
sacrifices does one make when denying ones cultural identity
to “fit in”? What might be the long term impacts of such a
denial?

What are some of the factors that would contribute to someone

internalizing racist ideas and/ or cultural shame?

What impacts does internalized racism have, from both an

individual and a cultural point of view?
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 #6 THE MANY FACES OF RACISM P2

Terms of Debate
Anti-Semitism
A specific form of discrimination aimed at people of Jewish religion and/or ethnicity.

‘Race’
‘Race’ is commonly understood to be the physical features (hair type, skin colour, shape of nose,
etc.) that characterize and distinguish different groups. The entire notion of ‘race’ has been
deemed a misnomer by many contemporary critical thinkers. Historically ‘race’ was a social
category used to separate people and rationalized forms of social organization that reward some
and penalize others.

Racism
A system of advantage based on ‘race’. A set of beliefs, assumptions and actions whether
implicit or explicit where one racial or ethnic group is considered ‘superior’ to another. This is
often demonstrated in individual acts and attitudes as well as institutional and organizational
structures.

Discrimination
Discrimination is prejudice put into practice. It is unequal or unjust treatment of individuals or
groups through the denial of civil liberties and/or everyday opportunities. Under the BC Human
Rights Act, discrimination is prohibited on the basis of ‘race’, ethnicity, class, gender, age,
religious or political beliefs, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, colour,
ancestry, place of origin, sexual orientation and criminal background (unrelated to employment).

Prejudice
To have prejudice is to prejudge and it is often based on stereotypes. Prejudice can stem from
attitudes based on anything from race, age or religious background to marital or family status;
physical, developmental or mental attributes; and/or gender.

Individual Racism
Any action or practice that denies equality to a person because of their ‘race’.

Internalized Racism
The consequence of people of colour believing, acting upon, or enforcing the dominant systems
attitudes towards them and/or members of their own racial group. This can include experiencing
shame regarding one’s racial identity.

Systemic Racism
Social and organizational structures, including policy and practices, which intentionally or
unintentionally exclude, limit and discriminate against individuals not part of the dominant
group.
Example: Immigration laws which require specific levels of education act as racist, sexist and
classist tools to prevent the (im)migration of poor people of colour from countries in the South.

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Head Tax
• 1885 Canadian immigration law which charged all people from China $50 to enter Canada.
• By 1904 this fee had been raised to $500.
• This head tax was not charged to any other immigrants It was a deliberate attempt to
prevent immigration by Chinese people. This was in contrast to the active recruitment of
Chinese people during the late 1800s to fulfill labour shortages (e.g. construction of the
national railroad) in jobs considered undesirable by white, middle class Canadians.
• It was very difficult for Chinese Canadians to pay this head tax to bring their families over
from China. It prevented and delayed the reunification of many families.
• In 1923, the head tax was eliminated. It was replaced with the Chinese Exclusion Act, a law
limiting entry into Canada to government officials, Canadian-born children studying abroad,
merchants, foreign students entering a Canadian university and people in transit. Families of
Chinese Canadian men already working in Canada were barred from immigrating. The result
was a Chinese Canadian population with disproportionate numbers of men to women (e.g. In
1931, there were 25,000 Chinese Canadian men and 2,000 Chinese Canadian women).
• On July 1, 1923, Dominion Day, the Chinese Exclusion Act took effect. The Chinese Canadian
community renamed the holiday Humiliation Day and refused to celebrate, closing their
businesses that year and each year thereafter until the act was changed.

Questions
What type(s) of racism is this program an example of? (Individual, institutional, organizational,
systemic, etc.) Why?
What do you think the impacts were on Chinese Canadians during this time period? (Psychological
effects, internalized racism, lack of economic security, family break down, etc.)
Can you think of any contemporary examples that parallel this? Are there any similarities between
the treatment of the migrants who arrived by boat from Fujian province and the treatment of
Chinese Canadians in the early 1900s?
What other forms of oppression are reinforced by this program? (Classism, sexism, etc.)

Japanese Internment Camps

• Many historians believe internments camps came about because of racist attitudes Canadians
held towards Japanese Canadian’s-many of whom lived in BC.
• Prior to World War II, 22,096 Japanese Canadians lived in British Colombia; three quarters of
them were naturalized or native born Canadians.
• After the bombing of Pearl Harbour, racism came to a head. British Columbians started to
blame many social problems and on Japanese Canadians. For example, the economic success
of Japanese Canadians was perceived as a threat to white Canadians prosperity.
• The people of British Columbia felt threatened them and wanted Prime Minister Mackenzie
King to rid Canada of people of Japanese origin.
• Innocent Japanese Canadians were punished and sent to internment camps because they
were not white and they could be spies. They were, humiliated, thrown behind barbwire
fences, and were forced to do manual labour. Many families were separated and displaced.
• In 1945 the government threatened the Japanese with either moving to Eastern Canada or
being deported to Japan, despite their Canadian citizenship.
• The Canadian Government took hold of Japanese Canadians property and sold or disposed of
it without the owners consent.
• In 1988 the Redress Agreement between the National Association of Japanese Canadians and
the Canadian Government gave a public apology for the abuses as well as some monetary
compensation for survivors.

Questions
What types of racism is this event an example of? Why? What do you think the impacts were on Japanese
Canadians during this time period? (Psychological effects, internalized racism, lack of economic
security, family break down, etc.) Does it parallel any other examples of racism in history?
 #14 MOVING ALONG P2
* Continuum adapted from: Jamie Washington, 1991, Keweenaw Pride at Michigan Technical University,
www.sos.mtu.edu/pride/safeplace/ally.html

A Continuum: Responding to Racism

List Attitudes, Action Steps, External Motivators
Participation – you perpetuate racism by engaging
in verbal or physical harassment of individuals or
groups of First Nations, people of colour, and
people of other cultures. You laugh and tell jokes
about people who don’t fit into the “dominant
white” culture.

Ignore and deny – you passively support racism, and

by not acting against it you promote it. You say
nothing to address racist and discriminatory
behaviours and institutionalized policies, allowing
the oppression to go unchallenged.

Recognize without acting – – you recognize racist

and discriminatory behaviours and institutional
policies but do nothing to stop them, either out of
inability, unwillingness or fear. For example, you
ignore racist graffiti leaving it for others to see.

Recognize and interrupt – you recognize racist and

discriminatory behaviours and take action to stop
them when they are expressed. Your response goes
only so far as to show that these behaviours are not
acceptable.

Self-education – you take action to learn about racism

and overcoming it. In order to address racism and
oppression you are learning more about issues that affect
First Nations and peoples of colour and of other cultures.
You’re examining privilege you have experienced in your
life.

Question and talk – you’re encouraging others to

reflect on their own attitudes and beliefs in order to
address racism and discrimination. You’re using
dialogue to increase awareness of the people around
you about issues of racism and privilege, both
internalized and systemic.

Support – you support others as they actively

engage in anti-racism work. Stopping the spread of
oppression and standing up against discrimination is
difficult and takes courage.

Prevent – you actively work to identify and

eliminate racist and discriminatory behaviours,
attitudes, and practices at the individual and
institutional levels.
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