Kindergarten to Grade 12 Without Racism is a parent and caregiver-led Centre for Family Equity project to address systemic racism in multiple areas of BC’s public education system. Led by Indigenous and racialized parents and caregivers themselves, the project engages families across the province to share their experiences and gather data on the impact of racism in schools.
In BC, the Ministry of Education and Childcare launched the K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan two years ago. Our work will mobilize evidence-based, parent-led policy and legislative change to transform BC’s School Act and BC’s Anti-Racism Act to ensure every child and youth can learn in an environment free from the harm of racism.
Our Year 1 Scoping Survey is now closed. Thank you to all those who participated!
Join our K-12 Without Racism Action Network
This initiative builds an Action Network of like-minded racialized and Indigenous parents across BC to work together towards change. Are you a parent or caregiver interested in participating in the K-12 Without Racism project and/or joining our project parent alliance? We are glad you have found us!
Year 1 Scoping Survey Report Released: Read the Findings
We are very excited to announce the release of our new report: Erase Racism in BC Schools: Families Lead the Way - Report on the K-12 Without Racism Year 1 Scoping Survey Findings.
Over Year 1 of our K-12 Without Racism Project, our Racial Equity Projects Lead and 10 Peer Leads conducted outreach throughout BC to gather survey participants and establish the K-12 Without Racism Action Network. The Year 1 Scoping Survey engaged parents and caregivers about their whole families experiences of racism in BC's public school system. This is our report on the K-12 Without Racism Scoping Survey findings.
Authored by Racial Equity Projects Lead Harsha Walia for Centre for Family Equity and engaging parent peer leads across the province, we heard from 104 Indigenous and racialized parents. The findings will shape the next year of intensive community engagement to dig deeper on trends and themes uncovered by the survey.
Our survey findings shed light on the painful and harmful experiences of racism in the K-12 public school system in regions across BC.
Some of the most shocking findings were:
- Over 79 percent of Indigenous and racialized parents who participated in our survey have children who have personally experienced racial harm or racial bullying in the K-12 public school system in BC.
- Around 40 percent of parents said their child is treated differently based on race when they need support and/or treated differently based on race when facing discipline.
- Only 29 percent of parents said their children and family were believed, listened to, and taken seriously when raising issues of racism with the school.
“Racism is never addressed, it’s an issue that is always swept under the carpet. It would be really great if we dealt with this vice in a truthful way rather than pretend to address the issue while, in reality, we never address the issue.”
- Survey respondent
Our survey report documents racism in multiple areas of BC’s K-12 public education system, including families’ personal experiences of racism, racial harm in school curriculum, systemic racism and colonialism in the administration of the school system, and lack of accountability from schools in responding to racism. The data is also disaggregated to highlight the unique experiences of different demographics of families.
Despite commitments to ending racism in BC’s public schools and a K-12 Anti-Racism Action Plan, much more action must be taken by the Province to end racism.
When our children and families face racism in the school system, they are unable to flourish, learn, play, and thrive. You can get involved in this important work towards change!
1) Share our report! Please share widely with other parents and caregivers, teachers, school staff, school administrators, PAC’s, school districts, school trustees, and community groups.
2) Are you an Indigenous or racialized parent or caregiver interested in joining our K-12 Without Racism Parent Action Network and participating in focus groups throughout BC in 2026? Receive updates and opportunities for engagement! Please join the network through the sign-up form on this webpage.
For Outreach Collaborators - Seeking your support throughout BC
Whether you are a parent or caregiver, a teacher, a school administrator, a local non-profit, or any other outreach collaborator, we are very grateful for your outreach support anywhere and everywhere in BC.
To spread the word about our community engagement in your community, please download and print our outreach materials below.
General Project Outreach
Posters for social media or printing:
- Children deserve to learn in schools with no racism.
- Join us to erase racism in BC public schools.
- Let's work together to end racism in public schools.
Thank you for your interest in supporting this project.
For more information, please contact the CFE’s Racial Equity Projects Lead:
Harsha Walia: harshaw@centreforequity.ca
More About This Project
Racial inequity is not a result of individual differences but of inequitable systems that perpetuate discrimination and exclusion. Recognizing the many overlapping yet distinct forms of racism, this project will pay attention to the diverse experiences of Indigenous, Black, Muslim, Asian, and newcomer families in our province’s public education system. Our approach is a “by and for” approach, with community-led research, advocacy, law reform, and strategic partnerships that center the voices of Indigenous and racialized families with lived experience.
The Kindergarten to Grade 12 Without Racism project is funded by the Law Foundation and runs for four years from 2025 to 2029. The project is led by Peer Engagement Leads located throughout BC.
- Around 58% of students in Canada say they have seen other students insulted, bullied, or excluded based on their race or ethnicity.
- Indigenous and racialized students are 2-3 times more likely than white students to experience race-based bullying, exclusion, or insults.
- Twenty percent of students who experienced and reported racism say that the school ignored them.