“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”–Audre Lorde

Ignite is a collection of texts and workshops to be used in formal and non-formal anti-racist education.  The materials are being translated into 5 languages (English, Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Romani).  The toolkit is now online at the following link: https://antiracist-toolkit.net

A key principle in the creation and selection of materials for this toolkit is the use of an anti-oppression framework, based on a structural and historical approach.  In Europe, much of the education (both formal and non-formal) about differences amongst people, discrimination and prejudice focus on the individual. It looks at the behaviour and attitudes of individual people, with the purpose of helping us to understand our differences and learn more about each other’s experiences and cultures. However, it tends to ignore or undervalue systems of power and long-term historical perspectives.

In creating this Toolkit, we wanted to explore how the concepts and ideas relate to a central-east European context (Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania in particular) and adapt them where required. Roma people and communities continue to experience widespread persecution and stigmatisation, a phenomenon which has been ingrained in European cultures for hundreds of years. Building awareness of the situation is not enough. Tolerance within individuals is not enough. We want to promote social change towards ending racism and Romaphobia!