Racism

Photo: An artist’s impression of Columbus arriving in America by Wilhem Berrouet. Credit: Salon de la Mappemonde/Flickr/CC)

Europe Slow in Recognising Global Impact of Colonialism

Viewpoint by Michael McEachrane*

LUND (IDN) – Centuries of European colonialism have had a tremendous impact on shaping inequities within and among countries, many of which are yet to be effectively addressed. This may seem like a trivial statement, but it is only recently being recognised by EU countries.

In 2019, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the Fundamental Rights of People of African Descent. It called for a comprehensive perspective on colonialism and slavery, which recognises their historical and contemporary adverse effects on people of African descent.

: Phil Harris; HUMAN RIGHTS; Racism; 23 February 2021

Photo: New WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Credit: World Trade Organization.

The Choice of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as WTO Head Makes History

Can This 'Grandmother' Save The World Ruled by Gender and Racial Bias?

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — As the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally announced the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General on February 15, a Swiss newspaper received her with a disgraceful headline: “This Grandmother will become the boss of the WTO,” with her photograph under the headline.

The headline sparked outrage, forcing the editors to modify their position: “This 66-year-old Nigerian will head WTO.”

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 19 February 2021

Voters Are the Limit to Democracy

Viewpoint by Roberto Savio*

ROME (IDN) – On August 23, a respected Brazilian polling institute found that the country's president, Jair Bolsonaro, enjoys an approval rating of 51 per cent, the highest since he was elected. Brazil ranks second as the country with the highest number of coronavirus deaths (116,000), according to Wikipedia, after the United States where the death toll currently stands at 170,000.

: Roberto Savio; OPINION; 28 August 2020

Chronic Underfunding of Public Health and Racist Policies Responsible for the Impact of COVID-19 in the US

Viewpoint by Marshall Auerback

The writer is a market analyst and commentator. This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NEW YORK (IDN) – It is understandably tempting to drop all the blame for America’s catastrophic response to COVID-19 on the big desk in the Oval Office. But there’s more to the story than epic incompetence, grift and delusion at the highest levels of government. The stark divide in the level of health care from testing to treatment is divided by wealth and the legacy of systemic racism.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 16 August 2020

Bronx Zoo Issues Apology for Displaying African Man In Cage

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – 'Black Lives Matter' can take credit for the scores of apologies from around the world for racist statues, discriminatory corporate policies and now from the Bronx Zoo for its cruel and racist display of an African man in a cage in 1906.

“In the name of equality, transparency, and accountability, we must confront our organization’s historic role in promoting racial injustice as we advance our mission to save wildlife and wild places,” officials with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said a statement released to the press on July 29.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 03 August 2020

The Pandemic of Racism in America

Viewpoint by Dr Alon Ben-Meir

The writer is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU). He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.

NEW YORK (IDN) – The rage, desperation, and determination which continue to bring tens of thousands of Americans to the streets in protest against racism and injustice hopefully will be just the beginning.

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 16 July 2020

Photo: Cape Coast Castle's 'Door of No Return' that slaves would pass through right before they were put on ships to the Americas and elsewhere. Source, Wikimedia Commons.

'Black Lives Matter' Continues to Spur Changes in Africa

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – As Americans explore the renaming of army bases, statues, streets, and schools that honour racist slave-holders or portray demeaning relationships between whites and Black, Brown and Latinx citizens, similar efforts are underway in Senegal and Liberia most recently.

Goree, an island in Senegal linked closely with slave trade, has decided to rename one of its main squares in response to the anti-racist movements around the world.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 07 July 2020

Photo: Standoff in Washington. Credit: Eleanor Goldfield. Source: Consortium News.

Policing Is Irrelevant for Public Safety—Here Are Some Alternatives That Are Proven to Work

Society doesn't need a large group with a license to kill.

Viewpoint by Justin Podur *

Justin Podur is a Toronto-based writer and a writing fellow at Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. You can find him on his website at podur.org and on Twitter @justinpodur. He teaches at York University in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. He is the author of the novel Siegebreakers.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 25 June 2020

Photo: A number of roads, mostly in the affluent suburbs of Kampala, derive their names from personalities of the British occupation era. Credit: New Vision.

Ugandans Launch Drive to Rename Streets with Colonial Names

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | KAMPALA (IDN) – A petition to rename roads honouring British colonial figures has gathered thousands of names. The appeal ties into the Black Lives Matter protests.

Running through the centre of the city and past Kampala's impressive Independence Monument is Speke Road, named after the British explorer and officer John Hanning Speke, the first European to identify the source of the Nile.

: Global Information Network; HUMAN RIGHTS; Racism; 23 June 2020

Photo: The Pentagon U.S. Department of Defense building Credit: Wikimedia Commons

If We're Going to Defund Militarized Police Departments, Why Not Add the Pentagon?

The U.S. military’s budget, like so many police department budgets, is bloated, and diverts our tax dollars into forces of domination and violence. Now is the time to question our spending priorities at the local and federal level.

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.