Discrimination/racism
At Konstfack there is zero tolerance for racism and all other forms of discrimination. A given in the challenge of working actively and continuously to keep our promises and ensure that our campus is a brave, safe, welcoming and actively anti-racist place for all. Despite that, we sometimes notice of outdated behaviours/structures that need to be combated; through lectures, internal projects and campaigns, we increase the awareness of both students and staff.
Examples of Konstfack's efforts to raise awareness for and prevent discrimination and racism is not only ongoing in the respective departments but on a central level as well. It is primarily taking place in the form of lectures, discussions and readings, and on a central level is often a staff development activity.
After the separatist POC collective Brown Island raised questions about structural racism, discrimination and how Konstfack's common areas can be perceived as exclusionary, the Rector appointed the 2019 working group OSVR, Our Spaces/Our Rooms. The purpose of this was to increase accessibility and to highlight and counteract structural racism in the areas we share and create the basis for everyone's equal opportunity to work and develop at Konstfack.
On behalf of the Management Council, the group's work continued during 2020 with analyses of Konstfack's spatial, linguistic and social structures. The group's task has been to highlight racism and inequality at the school and to propose measures to combat this. OSVR has continuously reported its work to management. The work was due to be completed by 2020, but the mission was extended due to the Corona pandemic and the BLM movement.
When the group completed its work in November 2020, the main issues were summarised in a process document with prepared proposals for measures aimed at strengthening the equal opportunities and rights of students, teachers and other employees to work and develop at Konstfack.
The process document forms the basis for the management's continued planning for a long-term work against racism throughout Konstfack – and in society. The work continues.
For more examples, see Equal terms in practice.