Bristol children's experiences of racism shared in new book

The book is based on the experiences of children in Bristol

A book designed to get children talking about issues around racism is being released.

'If Racism Vanished for a Day' draws on the experiences of 10 and 11-year-olds from three primary schools in Bristol.

The illustrated book is part of the University of the West of England (UWE) RESPECT project, designed to encourage this type of conversation.

It looks at how racism shapes the way children view themselves.

The children said: "We made this book because racism is not OK and we want people to understand the way it affects us.

"Our book is about what it would be like if racism vanished for a day, and we hope that reading it will help people think about how they can change what they do.

"Racism is a really big deal. It shouldn't have existed in the first place."

The children involved in the RESPECT project provided the book's illustrations

The lead researcher for the book, Dr Verity Jones from UWE, said: "Sometimes these conversations might be tricky or feel uncomfortable, but the children in the RESPECT project felt they were important conversations to try to have.

"For many teachers and educators, racism may feel like a highly politically charged area of debate and one that they feel uncomfortable or unsure of how to approach.

"We hope this book, which provides accompanying teachers notes and questions for children to discuss, will bridge a gap in reading material currently available."

To mark the book's release, some of the pupils attended a launch event at Watershed in Bristol on Friday alongside their parents, teachers and academics from UWE.

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