'RACE SHOULDN'T MATTER'
Viewers in tears as boy, 11, breaks down after being separated from his BAME friends on new TV show about racial bias
VIEWERS were left in tears after a schoolboy broke down after being separated from his BAME friends on a new TV show about racial bias.
Channel 4's The School That Tried to End Racism split white and non-white year 7 pupils at South London's Glenthorn High School during a three-week experiment discussing race and ethnicity.
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The segregated groups met once a week and 24 pupils aged 11 and 12 had further workshops and lessons together on racial inequality in a bid to reduce unconscious bias.
But while the non-white group danced, laughed and sang in the first session as they discussed their ethnicities and heritage, the white group struggled to know what to say.
And after being asked to share what they had learnt, one white pupil Henry burst into tears and said he felt “jealous” of the other group before he fled the room.
It left viewers sobbing up with one commenting: "Henry is an absolute gem, I'm tearing up seeing how upset he gets that he was put in a group based on his race."
Another commented the sobbing emoji, writing: "Omg this boy running out crying when he was grouped with the other white people."
A third wrote: "Yep, already cried. 11-year-olds should not have to feel worried about their race and how that will impact their life.";
A fourth commented: "These kids are amazing. Henry could teach so many adults a lot of things."
Speaking to his parents Kevin and Sarah later, he cried again, explaining: “What we were talking about is what it means to be white. And it felt really weird. I didn't feel comfortable talking.
“If I had the choice, I would be with my friends, not just by race, because that feels awful.”
He told the camera: “Since the start of my life, I've been told that your race doesn't really matter. It's who you are as a person.”
In the second group session, the children were asked to bring in objects that reflect their own cultural background.
Teachers were trained to run the groups, with race relations academic Dr Nicola Rollock and Professor Rhiannon Turner observing how the children behaved.
Dr Nicola explained: “The approach to race in this country has been one of colour blindness. We pretend we don't see race. That approach isn't working.
“You could say, 'I'm not racist.' But actually the actions might contradict what was coming out of our mouths.”
Unconscious bias
Their first practical task, created by Harvard University professors, had students match pictures of black faces with negative words and white faces with positive words and vice versa.
It found that 18 out of the 24 pupils showed a significant preference towards white people, with two showing a black preference and four showing no bias at all.
The task is widely accepted as a benchmark for measuring unconscious bias by assessing how quickly positive or negative words are associated with black or white faces.
Professor Turner explained: “We are exposed at an early age to white people in positions of power, white heroes and heroines.
“All of these influences tell us that white people are better than black and ethnic minority people in society.”
Research found that making friends from different racial groups is easier for 11-year-olds, she added, but children split into different groups based on ethnicity as they get older.
She said: “Intervening at this age if crucial if we are to target and change children's attitudes before they become crystallised with adulthood.”
Other experiments included discussing 'what it means to be white', and doing a 'privilege walk', where they stepped forward or back in response to questions about their lives.
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After several more days, Henry said he was learning to feel more comfortable about having the conversations, revealing: "I've learnt that race is actually a bigger issue that I thought it was, and it's not talked about enough."
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The school is almost 50/50 white and non-white students.
The School That Tried To End Racism aired Thursday at 9pm on Channel 4.
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