Students leading the way on anti-racism at UTS
Kurt Cheng is a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Communication (Social and Political Sciences) student at UTS.
In 2017, when he was in Year 11, Kurt saw the university’s ‘Racism. It Stops With Me’ video. It was one of the main reasons he chose to study at UTS.
Over the past two years, in the face of rising anti-Chinese sentiment worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt and other student leaders have been working with the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion (CSJI) on an anti-racism campaign at UTS.
We spoke with Kurt about his journey, and the importance of universities being actively anti-racist.
UTS student Kurt Cheng. Credit: Nori Bepu.
Tell us about your educational journey leading up to university.
I was born and raised in Hurstville, a community with the largest Chinese population in the country. My mum was also raised in Sydney, and my grandparents moved here from Hong Kong in the 1970’s in seek of employment.
We were a single parent Chinese-Australian family. I was raised to be independent from a young age, as mum worked 2–3 jobs to put my sister and me through school.
One of my earliest memories was lining up for hours at Centrelink with Mum to sort out social welfare payments and noticing the different people in the room and curious as to what we were lining up for.
As a toddler through to primary school, education was a priority and I was pushed to do well. However, self-awareness of inherent disadvantage came to light when we could not afford stationary, school uniforms, attending excursions or extracurriculars, all the ‘fun’ things a child would ordinarily do. So, I learned to live without and not care too much about not being able to do what my friends were able to do.
During high school, I moved in with my grandparents and had a challenging relationship with Mum which saw us estranged for some time. My studies were significantly impacted as a result in year 7–10. It wasn’t until a teacher from my school noticed something was off and intervened when I was in Year 10. The supported me significantly from that point onwards, and it honestly changed everything.
They covered the costs of my woodwork major project that would land me a place at university.
Kurt's major woodwork project.
Was university always part of your plans?
I aspired to university, but there were inherent limitations.
No one in my family went to university and the expectation for my sister and I was to go into a full-time job immediately after high school. My mind changed after my school intervened in Year 10, and I saw the possibility of earning a degree to make large societal impact. I wanted to be a lawyer, but had no idea how to get there. My teachers were so supportive and helped me find my bearings to getting there.
Why did you choose to come to UTS?
As a Year 11 student in 2017, I saw a YouTube video ‘Racism. It Stops With Me’ released by UTS. It was a poignant and powerful video of students and staff, including senior leaders, making a strong statement of commitment against racial discrimination.
When we found out that one in five people have experienced racism we needed to do something. The challenge: how do we give people the confidence to stand up to racism wherever it happens. Racism. It stops with me. We brought people from across the university to take our pledge. It stops with me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Racism. It stops with me. But that wasn't all. Behind the scenes we enlarged the images, creating the most visible campaign UTS had ever seen. From an on-campus activation to hijacking digital signage, large-scale printing and a flood on social media, we created a successful reminder that no matter who you are be you because racism it stops at UTS.
As someone who has experienced racial discrimination and its long-term impact, this strong statement from an institution resonated with me. It was a place that was safe and could educate people to make positive social change.
Visiting UTS in Year 12 sealed the deal for me. Specifically learning about the Indigenous Graduate Attributes (IGA) embedded within the curriculum to provide students with cultural competency skills to work with people from different lived experiences really stood out.
These two things set UTS apart in my eyes.
Tell us about the anti-racism campaign that students including yourself have launched in partnership with the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.
Universities are powerful institutions. We can educate and make powerful statements against racial discrimination that will ultimately shape the values, attitudes and minds of over 46,000 people and 4,000 staff, along with broader society.
The idea for this campaign came about in 2020 due to the rise in anti-Chinese sentiment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For many students and staff who look like me, the effects of racism are harmful and often permanent.
We have an opportunity now to make a strong statement against racial discrimination and educate thousands on the long-term impact of racism, whilst empowering bystanders to be actively anti-racist.
It’s important to launch this campaign at a time when we are reeling from the social impact of the pandemic, where we saw the best and worst of humanity over several years.
What are the aims of the campaign?
I want to educate our community on the long-term impact of racial discrimination and make a powerful statement that UTS has zero-tolerance for racism.
I want to empower and equip our community with the tools they need to be active by-standers and to be actively anti-racist.
Importantly, UTS’s powerful support and position on this issue will hopefully empower other young adults to pursue a university degree that is both transformative and life-changing for themselves to break a cycle of disadvantage. I want to inspire those wishing to pursue higher education – no matter what their background or situation, university is a place for them, and it is safe, welcoming and inclusive.
Dr Elaine Laforteza and Kurt Cheng.
Who else was involved?
The collaboration of CSJI staff (notably Dr Elaine Laforteza and Tracie Conroy), fellow students and alumni to develop this campaign has been empowering.
When we work together and have a campaign informed by our lived experiences and ideas for change, we’re a powerful force to be reckoned with.
What’s next for you?
Sitting in my HSC four years ago in 2018, I never expected to have had the experiences and opportunities a university education has provided me.
I have just commenced as an elected member of the University Council, having served three consecutive terms on the UTS Academic Board previously. During my time at UTS, I’m proud to have led governance reforms to introduce the first Indigenous student member to Academic Board, brokered the first Student Partnership Agreement securing a guarantee for student experience enrichment, developed a strategy to increase leadership diversity, shaped teaching and assessment policy in response to the global pandemic.
I expect to finish my studies in 2023 and will begin my clerkship at Ashurst in the 2022/23 Summer break. Though I remain open to future career options, including public policy.
