What is Anti-racism?

Anti-racism is a range of ideas and actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate actions which are intended to provide equal opportunities for all people on both an individual and a systemic level.   

Utilising an anti-racist lens involves recognising the reality of our racial and ethnic diversity and agrees that more knowledge about and valuing of others is a distinct improvement on ethnocentrism and discrimination. It accepts that there are interests and conflicts involved, and that explanations about social relations, including racial and ethnic relations, must rest on an analysis of institutions and social relations and processes. 

Anti-racism does not simply mean helping people from marginalised backgrounds, but rather it means working with them or among ourselves, while contesting assumptions. It assumes that race and culture are important parts of our personal and social identities and that they are crucial determinants (along with gender and class) of our life.