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WIAN was founded in 2017, to address the inequality women, young people and minorities face building their international careers. As an organisation founded by black women in the international affairs industry, breaking down barriers to entry, promotion and support was, and still is at the heart of all that we do. 90% of our team is from an ethnic minority background, and each year our annual mentorship scheme, which you can find out more here, sees over 100 young women from across Africa, Asia, Australasia and Europe receive personal and professional support as they begin their international careers, in whichever sector this may be.
We unequivocally and unashamedly stand in solidarity with all of those who are protesting and fighting against racial inequality and systemic racism in all of its forms. There is still much work to be done in the industry to address the historic and long-lasting impacts of racism, and we hope to see the conversation continue, and be followed with meaningful action.
Continue on for more educational resources, and keep an eye out for announcements on how to get involved with us. Please note this page is continually updated, and the resources are for information purposes only, and should not be taken as expert or legal advice.
anti-racism equality & inclusion.
LECTURE
White optimism and the erasures of racism in global development
Focusing on the silencing and erasures of matters of racism in the field of education and international development, and drawing on political theories of 'white ignorance', Dr Arathi Sriprakash from the University of Cambridge considers the extent to which the development industry uses 'white optimism' to keep systems of racial domination in place.
JOURNAL
Is the International System Racist?
In this essay, Katie Lockwood, demonstrates the ways in which the international system is racist, first tackling racism as a social construct forged by power, and how it manifests in the global economy, the international use of force, and supposed ‘humanitarian’ norms.
OPINION PIECE
End volunteerism and the white saviour industrial complex
Feminist writer Rosebell Kagumire spotlights the dangers of racialised power, white supremacy and patriarchal capitalism in the African context, and argues that while it may look different, the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racism protests are an African struggle, too.
VIDEO
How to be Anti-Racist in Aid
The recent killing of George Floyd and subsequent #BlackLivesMatter protests in the US and globally have reinvigorated discussions about anti-Black racism in all parts of society. The global development and humanitarian aid sector has its own share of issues on racism that remains to be addressed.
OPINION PIECE
Equity in the international development sector - we need more intravists
Intravism involves internal efforts to change organizational structures. As a Nigerian-American woman climbing the ladder, Blessing Omakwu highlights where the sector needs to do more, and the wide ranging actors that will need to be involved to bring about lasting change.
Handout / Getty Images
PODCAST
About Race
From the author behind the bestselling book, "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race", comes a podcast that takes conversation a step further. Featuring key voices from the last few decades of anti-racist activism, About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge looks at the recent history that led to the politics of today.
BOOK
Race and Racism in International Relations
Focusing on the theoretical and political legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of the "colour line", this text exposes and critically re-articulates the central importance of race and racism in International Relations, and is essential reading for those interested in Postcolonial studies, race/racism in world politics and international relations theory.
ARTICLE
Why African Nations Support U.S. Anti-Racism Protesters
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi E. Frazer speaks on the U.S. protests following the police killing of George Floyd, and how this has spurred solidarity among many Africans, who have expressed widespread outrage against police brutality.
Fredrik Lerneryd / Getty Images
TED TALK
How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them
Our biases can be dangerous, even deadly — as we've seen in the cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York. Diversity advocate Verna Myers looks closely at some of the subconscious attitudes we hold toward out-groups. She makes a plea to all people: Acknowledge your biases. Then move toward, not away from, the groups that make you uncomfortable. In a funny, impassioned, important talk, she shows us how.
ARTICLE
Enough with the slogans and statements – it’s time for Europe and its institutions to uproot racism at all levels
Critical reflections from Kékéli Kpognon, senior human rights programme officer at the Quaker Council for European Affairs, on how to tackle historical and structural racism in Europe.
Sovereign to Serf / Roger Sayles
JOURNAL
The Impact of White Supremacy on US Foreign Policy towards Africa
This essay explores the intersection of race and class in domestic American politics and how that impacts decisions made by holders of power, i.e. donors and funding international aid work in Africa. Christopher Keith Johnson argues that America’s failure to confront its racial history, specifically white supremacy, will prevent it from making the most appropriate decisions about aid or policy relating to the continent.
JOURNAL
Hidden in plain sight: racism in international relations theory
This article by political scientist Errol Henderson, addresses the centrality of racism in international relations (IR) theory; specifically, in realism and liberalism, two of the most prominent paradigms of IR. It examines the extent to which these major paradigms of world politics are oriented by racist—primarily, white supremacist—precepts.
Getty Images
E-LEARNING
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement in the United States was a decades-long struggle by African Americans to end legalised racial inequality, and was led by famous names such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, the Little Rock Nine, the Black Panthers and others. Learn more about the long-lasting history with History.com.
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