Taking a step forward to act and accelerate change as individuals, as organizations and as a sector. 

As advocates for racial justice and as imperfect allies, CanWaCH hopes that the learning series on anti-racism and global health will help individuals and organizations continue the needed conversations about racism and actively work towards integrating anti-racist approaches into programming. Based on the learning series, we have compiled the following resources that have been made available from each facilitator.  We encourage you to read the articles and continue your ongoing learning 

We are grateful to the experts and facilitators for their knowledge and time as part of this series.

Introduction to Learning Series on Anti-Racism and Global Health

Angela Bruce-Raeburn, Founder and Principal of DiverseDEV LLC (Facilitator)

In this session we explored the colonial history of global health and international development in Canada, the institutionalized power structures that continue to shape global health programming, as well as key concepts and terminology. We began to explore ways to dismantle structures and theories that do not promote a broad anti-racist approach to health equity and programming. 

Resources:

Bruce-Raeburn, A. (2018) But wait until they see your black face’ https://www.devex.com/news/opinion-but-wait-until-they-see-your-black-face-92485

Scheid, P. (2021) Shifting the power in global development: Should we stay or should we go now? https://hewlett.org/shifting-the-power-in-global-development-should-we-stay-or-should-we-go-now/

Devex – Angela Bruce-Raeburn article index https://www.devex.com/news/authors/angela-b-1378362

Racial Equity in Data Collection, Monitoring and Evaluation

Held Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 pm EDT

Sharon Nyangweso, QuakeLab (Facilitator)

Equity workshop with Momentum: this session explored how to embed equity into measurement and evaluation work. The QuakeLab team saught to build participant knowledge and capacity to actively seek out specific information about who their work is in service of, where barriers and inequity exist, and how to design a solution in service of these stakeholders. We will also explored the ways we can codify these interventions so that we move away from equity as ad hoc action, towards equity as a structurally embedded process. 

Resources:

LaFrance, J.; Nichols R., (2010) Reframing Evaluation: Defining and Indigenous Evaluation Framework https://evaluationcanada.ca/secure/23-2-013.pdf

BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, (2010) Indigenizing Outcomes Measurement: A Review of the Literature and Methodological Considerations https://thesummerinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/indigenous_measurement_lit_review.pdf

Chilisa, B.; Gaotlhobogwe, M.; Major, T.E.; Mokgolodi, H.; (2016) Decolonizing and Indigenizing Evaluation Practice in Africa: Toward African Relational Evaluation Approaches https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/236115349.pdf

Ballard, J.; Taylor, C.; Walker, R.; (2002) Investigating appropriate evaluation methods and indicators for Indigenous housing programs https://www.ahuri.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/2823/AHURI_Positioning_Paper_No24_Investigating_appropriate_evaluation_methods_and_indicators_for_Indigenous_housing_programs.pdf

Frehiwot, M. (2019) Made in Africa Evaluation: Decolonizing Evaluation in Africa https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337768900_Made_in_Africa_Evaluation_Decolonizing_Evaluation_in_Africa

Race, Gender and Health Inequities in International Development: Lifting New Voices for Better Outcomes

Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 1:00 – 2:30 pm EDT

There are fundamental root causes of global health inequity and the unequal allocation of power and resources. This session will take a deeper dive into the intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic mechanisms that organize the distribution of power and resources differentially, specifically across lines of race and gender.

Angela Bruce-Raeburn, Founder and Principal of DiverseDEV LLC (Facilitator)

Angela Bruce-Raeburn was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago and lived the undocumented immigrant experience in Brooklyn New York with her parents who decided to migrate in search of a new opportunities.  The black immigrant experience perhaps is the single most significant driver of her interest in issues of equity and social justice and its implications for racial identity. Angela graduated from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)– Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, which was the first historically black college to be founded in the US 1854 to provide higher education to black Americans.  In 2010, the Haiti earthquake and the subsequent international response led her to Haiti as a Senior Policy Advisor for Oxfam America. In her own words, “No where on earth is white supremacy culture under the guise of international development more on display than in this island nation”.  After the emergence of the Haiti scandal in 2018 involving misconduct by Oxfam Great Britain’s staff, Angela began to write about the black experience as seen from her immigrant eyes with a focus on her interest in the development sector publishing an article titled, But Wait Until They See Your Black Face in 2018

Fluent in French, Angela holds three Master’s Degrees, in Public Administration, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution and recipient of both a United States Congressional Black Caucus Fellowship as well as a Rotary International Peace Fellowship.

Angela is the Founder and Principal of DiverseDEV LLC to support international development organizations that are starting conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion.

Resources:

Bruce-Raeburn, A. (2019) Opinion: International development has a race problem

Anti-Racist Approaches to Communication & Advocacy 

Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm EDT

Oftentimes, individuals/organizations working within humanitarian/philanthropy spaces be it global health or global development especially from the global north tend to think they are exempt from conversations around anti-racism. It is dangerous and leads to individuals and organizations believing they are an exception rather than examining their complicit role. Anti-racism work requires each of us to take responsibility in radically transforming oppressive power structures rooted in anti-blackness.

During this discussion/session we seek to have necessary uncomfortable conversations that lead to change.

No White Saviors (Facilitator)

No White Saviors is an advocacy campaign led by a majority female, majority African team of professionals based in Kampala, Uganda. Their collective experience in the development & aid sectors has led to a deep commitment to seeing things change in a more equitable & anti-racist direction.

Resources:

Bond’s language guide: Taking British politics and colonialism out of our language

Emanuel, E. (2007) Unequal treatment https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/books/review/Emanuel.t.html

Kuman, A. (2020) White Supremacy in Global Health https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/white-supremacy-global-health

Thulin, L. (2020) What ‘Racism Is a Public Health Issue’ Means https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-racism-public-health-issue-means-180975326/

Haynes, S. (2020) What the Author of Me and White Supremacy Wants You to Know About Anti-Racism Work https://time.com/5869517/me-and-white-supremacy-layla-f-saad/

Kagumire, R. (2020) It’s time the UN faced up to its treatment of black people like me https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/06/its-time-the-un-faced-up-to-its-treatment-of-black-people-like-me

Elks, S. (2020) Exclusive: Aid groups face calls to open up on racism as survey finds data holes https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-racism-humanitarian-exclusive/exclusive-aid-groups-face-calls-to-open-up-on-racism-as-survey-finds-data-holes-idUSKCN24F0CB

Hernández, A. (2015) 4 Ways Humanitarian Work Abroad Reinforces the Oppression It Should Be Fighting https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/humanitarianism-oppression/

Hudson Banks, K., Harvey, R. (2020) Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism, or Just Talking About It? https://hbr.org/2020/06/is-your-company-actually-fighting-racism-or-just-talking-about-it

Cole, T. (2012) The White-Savior Industrial Complex https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/

Róisín, F. (2017) Why Hollywood’s White Savior Obsession Is an Extension of Colonialism https://www.teenvogue.com/story/hollywoods-white-savior-obsession-colonialism

McVeigh, K. (2017) Ed Sheeran Comic Relief film branded ‘poverty porn’ by aid watchdog https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/dec/04/ed-sheeran-comic-relief-film-poverty-porn-aid-watchdog-tom-hardy-eddie-redmayne

Kampala, P.A. (2019) Charity at heart of ‘white saviour’ row speaks out https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/mar/03/we-need-to-talk-about-race-no-white-saviours-tells-stacey-dooley-comic-relief

Enjeti, A. (2018) It’s time to diversify and decolonise our schools’ reading lists https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/3/18/its-time-to-diversify-and-decolonise-our-schools-reading-lists/

Aroni, N. (2020) Voluntourism is Colonialism Wrapped in the White Savior Complex https://www.wearyourvoicemag.com/voluntourism-colonialism-white-savior-complex/

Martin, C.E. (2016) Western do-gooders need to resist the allure of ‘exotic problems’ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/apr/23/western-do-gooders-need-to-resist-the-allure-of-exotic-problems

Wainaina, B. (2019) How to Write About Africa https://granta.com/how-to-write-about-africa/

Space for training is limited and we request that all participants attend the first introductory session, followed by the session(s) of their choice. Invitations are personal and non-transferable.

Sessions will not be recorded or shared in order to create space for open dialogue. Interpretation between French and English will be available. 

Should you have questions or concerns about receiving this invitation, please contact [email protected].  

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