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Solidarity in Action (Part II): Recognizing unity in the achievement of racial justice

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, join the Pathfinders Grand Challenge on Inequality and Exclusion for the second part of the “Solidarity in Action” webinar series on countering divisive narratives, where we will hear from country experiences on how the current and evolving  forms of racist narratives play out, pinpointing their similarities and differences, and its impact on progress. Crucially, we will identify the ways in which policymakers and civil society are successfully countering discourses of hate and prejudice, and building solidarity across race that resists racist dog-whistles and ‘culture war’ stories that threaten our path towards racial equality, and social justice.

Tuesday March 28, 2023 | 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Virtual Event

Around the world, divisive narratives and a resurgence of ethno-nationalist populism are creating and intensifying tensions between racial and ethnic groups. From anti-Korean racism festering in Japan, attacks on indigenous and quilombola communities in Brazil, to the ‘anti-critical race theory’ backlash in the United States, divisive tactics serve to exploit differences to pit people against each other and create backlash against policies and movements that aim to build inclusive anti-racist societies. The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, highlights that “hate speech is entering the mainstream, spreading like a wildfire through social media and radio. And we are seeing it spread in liberal societies and totalitarian states alike.” Rather than building solidarity, many in the public eye are actively vilifying those on the  frontline fighting for racial justice and defending our human rights.

Keynote speaker

Rita Bosaho, Director of Anti-Racial and Ethnic Discrimination, Ministry of Spain.

The session will be chaired by the program director, Dr. Faiza Shaheen and speakers include:

  • Ian Haney López, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Public Law, Berkeley, and author of Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class (2014)
  • Masana Mulaudzi, Atlantic Senior Fellow, Atlantic Fellowship for Social and Economic Equity
  • Peter Flegel, Executive Director of the Government of Canada’s Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, Canada
  • Representation from Brazil (TBD)

About the “Solidarity in Action” Webinar Series: Countering Divisive Narratives

Globally divisions in society are becoming more challenging. The Edelman Barometer (2023) finds that the majority of people in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Canada, South Korea (ROK), Sweden and Brazil feel their societies are more divided today than in the past. Our own work at Pathfinders found that 65 percent of people across countries polled believe that not enough is being done to address the divisions they are experiencing.

Inclusive narratives are key to countering increasingly popular discourses of division and prejudice that seek to divide and distract citizens, often on the basis of gender, race, and places of origin. The similarities of experiences across country contexts are striking, though the issues may differ. It is clear that divide-and-rule tactics are a worldwide challenge to contend with and operate across borders.

Join us for a series of conversations with experts and activists from around the world to share how together we can counter divide-and-rule tactics and build solidarity that can advance inclusive and equitable societies. The series includes:

 

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