Racism

Colonial statues in Africa have been removed, returned and torn down again – why it’s such a complex history

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

It also ignited debates about historical symbols of oppression, such as statues of figures associated with racial injustices.

Key Points: 
  • It also ignited debates about historical symbols of oppression, such as statues of figures associated with racial injustices.
  • These debates presented colonial statues in Africa as having been contested and toppled for many years, ever since African states gained independence.
  • As a scholar of African heritage, I recently published a study examining colonial statues and how they have been regarded in postcolonial Africa.

Colonial statues at independence (1950s-1980)

  • As African countries gained independence from the 1950s to the 1980s, colonial statues faced three main fates: recycling; defacement or toppling; and on-site preservation.
  • Recycling involved relocating statues from former colonies to former colonial metropolises.
  • The reasons for these repatriations were multiple and included the desire to keep alive memory of colonial times and to feed colonial nostalgia.
  • Some African leaders at independence were pro-Europe, having been educated there or having worked there during colonial times.

The empires strike back (1990s-2000s)

  • It’s easy to see why: the millions of US dollars in aid that Belgium gives the DRC every year.
  • However, this statue of Livingstone can also be seen as an international event, linked to colonial monuments built with France’s cooperation.
  • This is notably the case of the 2006 Savorgnan de Brazza memorial erected in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo.

Renewed contestations (from the 2010s)

  • Such protests have accelerated in recent years and have become more visible, thanks to social networks.
  • The most famous case is the Rhodes Must Fall movement.
  • This movement opposed neoliberal economic systems which had failed to respond to fundamental change, especially in areas such as education.

A complex issue

  • While acknowledging successes in removing colonial statues, it is important not to overlook the substantial support for (neo)colonial monuments all over Africa.
  • Such support can be explained by pressure from former colonial powers and the links of elites with these countries.


Sophia Labadi has received funding from the Humboldt Foundation and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.

Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier: the gangster behind the violence in Haiti who may have political aspirations of his own

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Over the past two weeks, Haiti’s powerful gangs have plunged a country already on life support into a coma.

Key Points: 
  • Over the past two weeks, Haiti’s powerful gangs have plunged a country already on life support into a coma.
  • He is an unelected leader, taking power after Haiti’s president was assassinated in 2021, and has presided over the country’s economic freefall.
  • But Chérizier has emerged from the armed insurrection as the most formidable leader in Haiti, and some suspect he may have political aspirations of his own.
  • Haiti’s history is replete with political leaders with very dubious pasts, and the country’s citizens are used to their violent machinations.
  • According to Chérizier, his brand of violent street politics is very much in tune with the need of the hour.

Political acumen

  • The current political instability in Haiti has largely been manufactured by Chérizier and the gangs he leads as a cleverly thought-out survival strategy.
  • So, on the one hand, Chérizier’s decision to stir up a political uprising can be seen as a planned strategy to scare off any external forces seeking to impose order.
  • Chérizier has used Henry’s unpopularity and controversial decision to deploy foreign police officers in the nation to drum up a nationwide violent fervour for political change.
  • With Henry now out of the political scene, the chance that Haitians will be forced to embrace such an outcome may not be far-fetched after all.


Amalendu Misra has received funding from
British Academy /
Nuffield Foundation

HR by Numbers - Emtrain Analytics Simplifies Improving Workplace Culture

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 11, 2024

Beyond traditional HR reporting, Emtrain Analytics measures social dynamics as they are happening.

Key Points: 
  • Beyond traditional HR reporting, Emtrain Analytics measures social dynamics as they are happening.
  • “Emtrain analytics helps us identify workforce behavior risks early on and take proactive steps to address before they have a negative impact on the workplace,” said Christina Hall, CHRO at Instacart.
  • Emtrain data is now available to benchmark workplace culture and create workforce risk “heat maps.” Emtrain Analytics includes C-level and Board reporting that summarizes workforce social dynamics in the workplace.
  • Emtrain Analytics makes workplace training more effective by accurately measuring workplace social dynamics based on a set of behavioral skills and competencies.

Aledade Appoints National Equity Expert to Board of Directors

Retrieved on: 
Monday, March 11, 2024

Bethesda, MD, March 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aledade , the nation’s largest network of independent primary care, has named a highly regarded diversity, equity and inclusion expert to its Board of Directors.

Key Points: 
  • Bethesda, MD, March 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aledade , the nation’s largest network of independent primary care, has named a highly regarded diversity, equity and inclusion expert to its Board of Directors.
  • Joyce A. Sackey , M.D., FACP, Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Associate Dean at Stanford Medicine, is the newest member of Aledade’s Board of Directors.
  • “We are grateful to have Dr. Sackey join our board and share her expertise with us,” said Farzad Mostashari, M.D., co-founder and CEO of Aledade.
  • “At Aledade, we are deeply committed to advancing equity and inclusion as part of our mission and core values.

New Awards Program Celebrates Canada’s Youngest Changemakers

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Awards to celebrate the accomplishments of Canada’s youngest young changemakers.

Key Points: 
  • Awards to celebrate the accomplishments of Canada’s youngest young changemakers.
  • The awards recognize diverse young leaders driving social impact on issues that matter most to Generation Z, including: mental health, racism and discrimination, climate change, reconciliation, bullying, physical activity and more.
  • Sophie Gregoire Trudeau serves as the Honourary Patron for the awards, and Peter MacKay, Counsel at McInnes Cooper and former Parliamentarian, alongside Nazanin Afshin-Jam, human rights activist, are the Honourary Co-Chairs.
  • Awards that acknowledge the positive impact that young Canadians make from coast to coast to coast,” says Marci Ien, Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth.

Barbie® Celebrates 65 Years of Inspiring Girls to Recognize Their Full Potential

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240305438605/en/
    Barbie® Celebrates 65 Years of Inspiring Girls to Recognize Their Full Potential (Photo: Business Wire)
    Since the brand’s inception, Barbie has helped girls explore their limitless potential through different roles and narratives – from encouraging self-expression through dress-up to playing out any of her 250+ careers.
  • “For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to empower girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential, and direct their own narrative to shape their future.
  • Barbie will recognize women worldwide who embody the brand’s mission to inspire stories to shape the future.
  • EXPANDING OUR COMMITMENT TO RESHAPE HOW SOCIETY SUPPORTS GIRLS’ EMPOWERMENT by entering our third year of partnership with Inspiring Girls International in continued support of the Barbie Dream Gap Project .

State Street Announces $100 Million Program for Minority Depository Institutions and Community Development Financial Institutions

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) today announced a $100 million program to provide low-cost, stable deposit funding to minority depository institutions (MDIs)1 and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)2, to support the firms’ collective missions of addressing inequities in our communities by working toward a more just and equitable future.

Key Points: 
  • State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) today announced a $100 million program to provide low-cost, stable deposit funding to minority depository institutions (MDIs)1 and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)2, to support the firms’ collective missions of addressing inequities in our communities by working toward a more just and equitable future.
  • As a part of this program, the firm is initially partnering with two mission-driven MDIs - Optus Bank and Mechanics & Farmers Bank (M&F Bank).
  • Both MDIs and CDFIs support low-to-moderate income communities through lending, affordable housing and workforce development.
  • This program, builds upon State Street’s actions to advance racial equity.

Kids Help Phone bolsters its commitment to support African, Caribbean and Black youth in Canada with action plan

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, March 9, 2024

TORONTO, March 9, 2024 /CNW/ - Acting on its commitment to help equity-deserving communities thrive, Kids Help Phone (KHP) is launching RiseUp: Kids Help Phone's Action Plan for Supporting Black Youth.

Key Points: 
  • TORONTO, March 9, 2024 /CNW/ - Acting on its commitment to help equity-deserving communities thrive, Kids Help Phone (KHP) is launching RiseUp: Kids Help Phone's Action Plan for Supporting Black Youth.
  • The RiseUp action plan has five ambitious goals and 29 actions that will guide support for Black communities in Canada.
  • Understanding that e-mental health services for Black youth must be community-informed and community-led, RiseUp was informed by Black youth and community leaders.
  • Kids Help Phone engaged with more than 200 African, Caribbean and Black youth to find out more about barriers they face when accessing support to mental health care.

Independence Blue Cross experts testify before Philadelphia City Council on racial disparities in city's maternal morbidity rate

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 8, 2024

PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from Independence Blue Cross (IBX) provided testimony today to Philadelphia City Council on solutions to racial disparities in the maternal mortality rate in the city.

Key Points: 
  • PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from Independence Blue Cross (IBX) provided testimony today to Philadelphia City Council on solutions to racial disparities in the maternal mortality rate in the city.
  • Dr. Lorina Marshall-Blake, president of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation (IBX Foundation) and vice president of Community Affairs for IBX, and Dr. Seun Ross, executive director of Health Equity for Independence Blue Cross, spoke before the Council's Committee on Public Health.
  • Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) refers to life-threatening complications that occur during or after childbirth.
  • In their testimonies, Marshall-Blake and Ross identified evidence-based programs supported by the IBX Foundation and IBX to improve the quality of maternal care and eliminate racial disparities in maternal morbidity rates in Philadelphia.

Barbie® Celebrates 65 Years of Inspiring Girls to Recognize Their Full Potential

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Since the brand's inception, Barbie has helped girls explore their limitless potential through different roles and narratives – from encouraging self-expression through dress-up to playing out any of her 250+ careers.

Key Points: 
  • Since the brand's inception, Barbie has helped girls explore their limitless potential through different roles and narratives – from encouraging self-expression through dress-up to playing out any of her 250+ careers.
  • "For the past 65 years, Barbie has used her global platform to empower girls to dream big, explore their limitless potential, and direct their own narrative to shape their future.
  • I hope other young girls are inspired to play out their dreams and recognize their limitless potential."
  • Walmart, featuring Barbie displays at locations across the country this spring under the theme "65 Years of Inspiration, Dreams Made Here."