“Racism is not a phenomenon that’s just located in one geographical area or region in the world. Racism is a tool to advance imperialism”, says Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, that continues to permeate every aspect of our society.
In an interview with Karabi Acharya, Senior Director of the Global Ideas for US Solutions strategic portfolio at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, our 2018 New Voices Fellow, explores how anti-racist policies and practices in global communities can inform efforts across borders to build a more equitable, healthy world.
In this discussion she notes the lack of vision in the multilateral system for addressing racism and discrimination in health which continues to disproportionately impact people of color. Ultimately, she highlights why it is essential to frame racism as a structural issue noting that it is not an issue of individual people not liking other people. But rather, she says, “[r]acism is a structural matter that recognizes and humanizes certain people just by merely being white. And it systematically disenfranchises certain people because they’re not white”.
To read the full interview click below.