Webinar on "Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together"

The ninth edition of the UNESCO webinar series “Inclusion in the time of COVID-19” aims to exchange experiences and expertise on the measures to address the COVID-19 crisis at the global and local levels. The focus will be on the social dimensions of “leaving no one behind” and on actions taken to fight against the growing incidents of racism and discrimination. This edition will discuss the topic of "Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together".

The webinar is targeting national/local policymakers and stakeholders, international and regional organizations, academics, students and NGOs. Speakers will include global experts and city authorities from UNESCO’s International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities – ICCAR.

The transatlantic slave trade is considered one of the gravest crimes against humanity that the world has ever seen. But it not just a dark footnote in human history – because we are still living with its shameful legacies. The COVID-19 pandemic has starkly exposed those legacies – including racism, inequality and the vulnerabilities of people of African descent across the globe. Health conditions linked to structural racism, such as hypertension, malnutrition and exposure to pollution, were already hurting communities in the African diaspora. But COVID-19 has dramatically escalated the situation and caused people of African descent to suffer disproportionately.

This discussion on 28 May is being organized by UNESCO and the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme – in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). It will bring together experts who will explain why an understanding of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy of racism is necessary to move forward and how the next steps in re-opening our economies present an opportunity for transformational change.

Opening remarks:
• Maher Nasser, Director, Outreach Division, Department of Global Communications, United Nations, New York

Panelists:
• Lisa Coleman, Senior Vice President for Global Inclusion, Diversity and Strategic Innovation, New York University, New York
• Yoann Lopez, Project Manager in Charge of Memory, Racism and Antisemitism, City of Bordeaux, Bordeaux
• María Elisa Velázquez Gutiérrez, Former President, UNESCO Slave Route Project International Scientific Committee, Mexico City
• Webster, Hip-hop artist and lecturer, Montreal

Closing remarks:
• Ângela Melo, Director of Programmes and Policies, Social and Human Sciences Sector, UNESCO, Paris

Moderator:
• Brenden Varma, Manager, Remember Slavery Programme, United Nations, New York

Hashtags: #RememberSlavery #AfricanDescent #FightRacism

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The webinars scheduled from the month of May 2020 will focus on thematic areas that shed light on the visceral forms of discrimination that exist in our societies. This new series also seeks to unlock a deeper understanding of a number of critical issues underlying the pandemic in order to act in the present and anticipate the future.