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Since May 2020, the world has seemingly been awakened to the horrors of anti-black racism not just in the US but around the world. The Minneapolis Police Department murder of George Floyd combined with the negative impact of the COVID19 pandemic created circumstances where we have seen (as only a few of the examples):

  • The largest protest movement in U.S. history coalesce around Black Lives Matter (BLM);
  • In the UK, statues of men now recognized more for their roles as enslavers and racists are being toppled and removed; and
  • Solidarity with BLM has reached even South Korea, where KPop fans are playing roles in digitally disrupting people and events that promote agendas of hate.

It is within this context that our Tuesday 28 July 2020 Meetup will consider how international development has or has not risen to the occasion to confront its own issues with anti-Black racism. Across social media, countless stories are being told anonymously and otherwise that shed a harsh light on so-called 'do-gooders' who have been informed contributors to systems that reinforce anti-Black racism.

In light of this, we wish to examine what anti-Black racism looks like in ICT4D, explain the impact of anti-Black racism in ICT4D, and provide attendees with concrete actions they can take to be [more] anti-racist in their own ICT4D work.

Confirmed panelists include:

  1. Thelonius Cook, Owner and Farmer at Mighty Thundercloud Edible Forest and ICT4Ag Consultant with USAID's Farmer-to-Farmer program
  2. Haben Fecadu, Human Rights Lawyer, Amnesty International
  3. Shikoh Gitau, CEO of Qhala, a digital innovation company that catalyzes digital transformation capabilities for organizations across Africa
  4. Aarathi Krishnan, Humanitarian Futures and Strategic Foresight Advisor and Technology and Human Rights Fellow at the Harvard Carr Centre for Technology and Human Rights
  5. Hannah Metcalfe, Country Director (Tanzania) and Global Private Sector Lead for Viamo
  6. Olasupo Oyedepo, Co-founder and first Director of the African Alliance of Digital Health Networks

We will have an hour of guided conversation with our panelists with 30 minutes of open discussion. You must register to attend this online event.

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