The IF20 Anti-racism Initiative Response to Racism

What is it about?

This article recaps the works of the Anti-Racism Initiative (ARI) of the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20). The ARI was established in 2018; during a tumultuous period of social and political upheaval including a global pandemic, climate disasters, wars, and growing nuclear threats. As this confluence of world events unfolded, it became clear that racism and persistent colonialist attitudes were undercurrents that contribute to many challenges to the peace, harmony, and well-being of humanity that were under review and discussion by the IF20 Working Group. The ARI was tasked with addressing the many ways that racism intersects with the array of issues addressed by the IF20.

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Why is it important?

The ARIʻs approach has been to host topical conversations and events featuring a broad spectrum of issues associated with racism and discrimination. These inquiries were broadly inclusive, featuring anti-racism perspectives from around the world, including Indigenous Peoples, Asians, and Pacific Islanders. We also featured the complex relationship between religion and race – looking at Islamophobia, and discrimination against Jews and Hindus, as well as Indian Boarding Schools. In examining the ARI, this article examines how centuries of colonization, extractive capitalism, and religious domination have severed many human societies from their traditional cultures and beliefs; and dilates the lens of insularity, offering ways of looking at the world from the perspectives of marginalized groups around the world.

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