Black Teachers’ Conference 2011
[Within the NUT, the term 'black' refers to all teachers who face racism, including those identified on the National Census as Black or Black British, Asian or British Asian, Chinese, or other minority ethnic groups. Black is a political term to promote solidarity among people who face racism in society.]
I attended the recent 2011 Black teachers conference held at the extravagant and beautiful setting of Stoke Rochford mansion in Leicester.
This year was a bit more special from other years as we were celebrating 20 years of successful Black teacher conferences- wow!! 20 years on and still going strong.
As part of this remarkable celebration, besides a wonderful fireworks display to mark Guy Fawkes, Diwali and Eid celebrations there was a disco.
The wooden floor space was at times packed out with every type of dancer possible, such as the trendy–I‘m too cool to move, or on the extreme end of the scale, the dangerous and energetic Ninja mover, to the slow hip moving license to thrill couple. All in all it was good fun, the young DJ’s made efforts to play a mix of music including Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean, Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, Return of the Mack (Mark Morrison) and various Bhangra dance hits all of which filled the dance floor. Requests were taken, however not always met. All in all it was a chance for all to get together, dress up and socialise in a safe environment (apart from the child filming the dance moves on his console! I’m not sure if the images got put onto You Tube!!!)
So where are you going to be next year?
Salena Gray
The day before the NUT Black Teachers’ Conference we held the annual social for Hackney Black Teachers. Despite the heavy rain on a Thursday evening there was a good turn-out at Open the Gate Cultural Centre and Café in Dalston. As with every meeting, there were some first-time attendees along with the regulars. Betty Joseph, one of the two Black members on the National Executive was in also in attendance.
There was a great variety of workshops on offer on the Saturday of the conference including
· Work Life Balance
· Climate for Learning
· Lessons in Identity
· Introduction to Equalities Training, Engaging with Everybody
· Organising Black Teachers
· Finding Ways to Deal with Challenging Situations in a Demanding Profession
There was a good balance of focus on classroom practice, support for teachers and discussion of how to get involved in organising for progressive change.
On the Sunday we were treated to a speech from Baljeet Ghale the NUT’s first (and so far only) Black President. The speech and the subsequent discussion raised for me the importance of Black and Minority teachers taking an active part in the Union at all levels. We heard how, in the twenty years since the first Black Teachers’ Conference, the Black presence at National Conference has increased significantly. We learnt also that the data seems to indicate that Black and Minority Teachers still face particular challenges in the work-place.
The motion put forward to National Conference calls on the NUT to collect the data necessary to establish where the current inequalities lie, in order that we can collectively work to address these inequalities.
We’ve come a long way, and there’s plenty more to be done! If you feel you can play a part, however small, why not come to the next Hackney Black Teachers meeting and/or the next HTA General Meeting?
Darren Chetty
