Not just good intentions: how university staff can support genuine racial justice

Racism isn’t just a social justice buzzword; it’s a reality affecting students and staff across Australian universities. Findings from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) Racism@Uni study have revealed what many of us from minoritised backgrounds have long known: that interpersonal and structural racism are pervasive and deeply entrenched at universities. 

The resulting report, Respect at Uni, found that many staff and students from First Nations, Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, Arab, African, Asian and other international backgrounds feel “unsafe” and “unwelcome”, and lack trust in complaints systems – and that hits their well‑being, participation and performance at university. 

• Five ways to embed anti-racist pedagogy
• How to advance equity-informed leadership in universities
• Making space for academic colleagues to think about race as part of pedagogy

So, what can we, as university educators, do about this?

Build basic racial literacy 

You don’t need a PhD in critical race theory. Just start where you are.

• Understand where you’re coming from: This means reflecting on how your own identity – such as your race, class, gender or language – shapes the way you see the world and interact with students. Ask yourself: how might my background influence my assumptions or decisions? Owning this is key to creating genuinely inclusive spaces.
• Educate yourself: Learn terms such as microaggression, implicit bias and structural racism. Resources from your institution’s equity office or diversity and inclusion team are a solid starting point.
• Genuinely listen to, and learn from, your peers: Have informal conversations in staff rooms or over coffee, but do so thoughtfully. Avoid putting the cultural load on colleagues or asking them to relive painful experiences. Listen non-defensively, without expecting them to educate you. Low racial literacy was flagged in the AHRC’s inaugural National Anti-Racism Framework across a range of sectors, so listening and raising awareness matter.

Make it clear, simple and safe for students to report discrimination or harassment

Many students don’t report racial discrimination because they fear retaliation or feel the system won’t help. That’s on us.

• Repeat reporting information often: Include racism policies and supports in orientation, student handbooks, course overviews and online portals.
• Let students choose anonymity: Offer multiple ways to report, such as anonymous forms, or confidential chats with staff or ombudspersons.
• Follow up visibly: Even if it’s just “Thanks for letting us know, here’s what will happen next”, students need to see that raising these issues matters.

Be an anti-racist ally

Waiting for students to come forward isn’t enough. We can take action before harm happens.

• Call it out kindly: If you see a racist comment or stereotype in class, interrupt it. A simple “Let’s unpack that wording” or “Can you elaborate on why you think that?” can open the door for learning.
• Use inclusive language: Avoid expressions like “you guys” or assumptions about nationality and any associated (in)capability. Start with an understanding of how students identify.
• Invite diverse voices: Ask students and colleagues from different backgrounds to share their expertise and to model that there are diverse ways of knowing, being and doing.

Embed anti-racism in teaching and assessment

Actions speak louder than words, so shape your classes to actively dismantle discrimination.

• Be critical about the curriculum: Question whose knowledge is centred. Incorporate Indigenous perspectives, challenge Eurocentric frameworks and invite students to critically analyse status-quo narratives.
• Choose diverse sources: Go beyond tokenism and ensure readings, case studies and examples include authors from First Nations and a variety of racial backgrounds.
• Reflective assignments: Encourage students to consider how race and power shape their work. You could ask, for example: “How might different identities interpret this?” Offer flexible formats (oral, visual, written) to honour different cultural ways of knowing and reduce bias in grading.
• Language matters: Avoid deficit framing. Replace terms such as “non-Western” with specific cultural identifiers and affirm contributions from all knowledge systems.
• Group mix-ups: Rotate group assignments so diverse teams are the norm, not the exception. And check in on group dynamics.

Create supportive spaces

Students often feel isolated after experiencing racism. Here’s how to build community:

• Safe spaces: Hold optional “open door” hours specifically for discussing discrimination, marginalisation or cultural experiences. Provide physical spaces for this to happen within your class  or across the institution.
• Peer mentorship: Set up mentorship programmes linking students from minority backgrounds with peers or staff with similar experiences.
• Leverage cultural strengths without adding pressure: Recognise and value the traditions, languages and contributions of international students from racial minority backgrounds through classroom examples and written communications. In doing so, ensure participation is voluntary and students aren’t burdened with educating others or representing an entire culture.

Advocate across systems

Real change happens in the classroom and at policy levels. Remember that staff have power here, too.

• Insist on sustained training: Push for mandatory, ongoing anti-racism and cultural safety training for all staff, not just as voluntary options.
• Benchmark progress: Support collecting data like the Racism@Uni study does. Knowing how many issues are reported, resolved and backed with feedback is essential.
• Engage student voices: Involve students from diverse backgrounds in task forces, hiring panels and curriculum review. Let them lead the change, too.

Keep at it – the need is ongoing

Anti-racism isn’t a plugin you install; it’s long-term work that requires non-defensiveness, humility and introspection. Taking action – in the classroom and beyond – helps students feel safer and more supported, and it can make more of a difference than you realise. Let’s make our campuses spaces where every student and staff member truly belongs. After all, it’s not just our institutions at stake; it’s real people. 

Aaron Teo is a sociologist of education and lecturer in curriculum and pedagogy in the School of Education at the University of Southern Queensland. 

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