Racism inside and outside the classroom: "Why do they have to call me 'black whore'?"
Teachers, experts, and students warn of racial hatred that is often silenced in schools, but is becoming increasingly explicit outside of them and on social media.
"Black whore," "go back to your country," "you're my slave," "you're burned out"... these are some of the verbal attacks that Nana, Astou, and Mariama, third-year secondary school students, regularly hear from their classmates. The families of these three young women came to Mallorca from Senegal and Mali, and not a day goes by without someone reminding them of their foreign origins. "Being looked down upon because of the color of my skin makes me feel terrible," says Astou, while her friends nod in agreement. The three say they often protest the racism they endure and lament that, on many occasions, "the teachers don't pay any attention." "It's the same every year, and it's not our fault," Mariama asserts, and Nana proudly adds that, sometimes, protesting does work: "Last year, a classmate was suspended for a few days because he called me 'black.'" However, even the perception of students who respond to the aggression is problematic. “A young person of color is labeled as violent at the first sign of resistance, and that doesn’t happen to a young white person,” says Aliou, a first-year high school student of Senegalese and Venezuelan descent. Aliou asserts that racism “has multiplied among young people,” although outside of school, without the supervision of the teaching staff, “it’s harsher and more direct.” “The far right has a discourse that appeals to many classmates, and they say it without any problem,” he adds. This young man also points out that more could be done in schools and emphasizes the importance of individual and social context in such a complex issue: “White people who have never had problems often don’t notice certain behaviors,” he says.
In contrast, Pape (a fourth-year secondary school student), also of Senegalese origin, chooses to remain silent when confronted with racist attitudes. "Why do they have to call me 'black whore'? Yes, we're black. What do you want me to do? Maybe it's because of my upbringing, but I don't say anything, even though I feel terrible. There are even people who are racist without realizing it," he explains. "My parents instilled in me from a young age to stay away from racist people, and that's what I try to do. I suppose that, as life goes on, some will realize what they're doing wrong."
No data for the Balearic Islands
Quantifying this problem, which is most prevalent from secondary school onwards, is nearly impossible, especially since the Regional Ministry of Education has not provided data on cases of harassment due to racist attitudes since the beginning of this legislative term – the previous term did provide this information: in the 2022-2023 academic year, 8.1% of harassment cases were racist. According to the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, 43.4% of students in Spain report having suffered discrimination based on their ethnic origin.
"Far-right ideas related to racism and xenophobia have increased, which also includes sexist and classist comments," notes Antonia (a pseudonym), a Philosophy teacher from the Part Forana region, who also asserts that coexistence between different realities "doesn't cure" the problem. "Reflection and sincere listening to others are necessary, and that doesn't always happen," she continues. Students express ideas "copied from far-right discourse," such as "migrants are criminals." "In the general imagination, a migrant is a Black person arriving in a boat. They can't conceive of a German or an English person as one, because there's a heavy burden of classism," she adds, worried that schools must cope with the "information tsunami" that students receive through social media. "They watch one-minute videos full of nonsense, myths, and endless slogans," she says.
Institutions are also racist
Racism in social interactions is not the only form of discrimination faced by students from migrant families. Sociologist and UIB professor Carlos Vecina emphasizes the importance of institutional racism in education, which is reflected in higher dropout rates, a lower percentage of racialized students in upper secondary education (Bachillerato), and a greater concentration of students from these backgrounds in vocational training, especially basic vocational training. "This demonstrates what is happening. Some people excuse the higher dropout rate among migrants by saying there are jobs in the Balearic Islands. If this is the cause of higher dropout rates, we are failing as a society," he says, stressing that this situation also represents "a loss of human capital." "What society loses is very significant. It's absurd, yet it becomes normalized," he adds.
The distribution of students among schools is also a clear example of institutional racism. "Segregation reduces educational opportunities. The vulnerable, migrant population with fewer opportunities is concentrated in certain schools. It's terrible, and schools have been suffering from this segregated distribution based on social and geographic origin for many years. This isn't going anywhere," laments Vecina. The expert also points out that, in the coexistence among students, "women suffer more than men" from displays of racism because "they have gender-related roles" that increase their vulnerability. "We create social representations of differences such as origin, what is perceived as a person's culture, and physical characteristics. People try to establish symbolic power in accordance with these differences. Social representations of the other as different affect life, behavior, and discourse," he explains.
The attention and work of educational institutions is paramount in tackling racism, but it is often an unattainable task. "Society is changing at a pace we can't keep up with, and we always lack the tools. We have to try to get students to reflect," says teacher and FAPA president, Xavier Ferriol.
"A lot of work is being done on everything related to democratic and constitutional discourse and respect for diversity," emphasizes history teacher Miguel Ángel Asensi González, who teaches at a school with approximately 20% foreign students. "But we are also aware that schools are a reflection of society, which is becoming more polarized every day," he continues, concluding: "Democracy must be fought for."