Reflections on racism levelled against Black learners at Historically White South African schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT Alumni discussions about racism and discriminatory practices experienced by Black learners at Historically White Schools (HWSs) in South Africa were triggered by the 2020 George Floyd incident. Several HWSs were accused of racist acts and discrimination by learners and alumni on social media forums during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations. It is concerning that after 28 years of democracy, racism still exists in South African schools, specifically HWSs. Many media and social media outlets continue to feature learners’ stories and encounters with racist behaviour. It is against this backdrop that this reflective paper engages with racism levelled against Black learners attending HWSs, precipitated by the BLM. The findings display that hashtag social campaigns in South Africa, after the appearance of the George Floyd incident in the United States, highlighted racism and various discriminatory practices in several HWSs in South Africa. The postings seem to have compelled some multicultural schools to effect genuine change and to locate diversity at the helm of a transformed South African educational system. This study recommends that education authorities initiate country-wide dialogues around anti-racism in HWSs, equip prospective teachers with skills, and deal with White privilege to address racism.