CGIAR FAIR ERG workshop: Empowerment against racism
June 7, 2024
On 16 May, the CGIAR Forum Against Inequality and Racism (FAIR) Employee-led Resource Group hosted an event themed “From bystander to ally, taking action against racism.” This Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion (GDI) event aimed to empower participants to move beyond passive observation of racism to becoming active allies in the fight against it.
Diversity Expert and CEO, Aparna Mittal, explaining how racial discrimination manifests and how to handle it.
Armelle Coudreau, Procurement Administrator at the CGIAR Systems Organization, moderated the session. She addressed the complexities individuals face when deciding whether to respond to instances of racism. She highlighted that many people have experienced discrimination at some point and emphasized the importance of recognizing these unfair situations. Coudreau provided tools and strategies to help participants transition from mere bystanders to active allies against racism.
Aparna Mittal, Diversity Expert and CEO, led a series of interactive exercises, allowing participants to share their experiences with discrimination. Mittal shared her experiences, expressing a deep commitment to preventing others from enduring similar injustices. Through exercises based on real-life scenarios, she explained how racial discrimination manifests globally, driven by factors such as skin color, facial features, culture, and accent. She added that acts of racism can include denial of rights and benefits and the inappropriate use of power by law enforcement agents.
The event also offered practical advice on becoming a more effective ally. Participants discussed various strategies to caution against discrimination. These include:
speaking up against racism
understanding and appreciating cultural differences
respecting others
listening actively before responding
The importance of self-empowerment was underscored, encouraging individuals to create awareness, take action, and mentor others.
Procurement Administrator at the CGIAR Systems Organization, Armelle Coudreau, moderating the session.
Empowering victims of racism was another critical focus of the event. Participants were encouraged to reach out to trusted individuals, understand their rights, speak up, and prioritize self-care. It was emphasized that suffering in silence harms the individual and allows the cycle of discrimination to continue. By speaking out, victims can protect themselves and help prevent future occurrences of racism.
The event provided valuable insights and practical tools for combating racism. It reinforced the idea that collective effort and active allyship are essential in the fight against racial discrimination. Individuals can create a more inclusive and equitable society through education, awareness, and action.
CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. IITA is one of 15 research centers in the CGIAR.
Contributed by Ochuwa Favour Daramola
Olamide Deborah Nwanze is a Senior Research Associate specializing in gender mainstreaming research to inform participatory and inclusive breeding, variety development, and seed systems policies regarding root, tuber, and banana (RTB) crops in the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Headquarters, Ibadan, Nigeria. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Ibadan and holds an MSc and B. Agric in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. Olamide is a fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development – Gender Responsive Agricultural Systems Policy (AWARD-GRASP) and the Gender Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT). She seeks to apply her gender-mainstreaming learnings, gender-responsive research, and policy development, and review expertise to facilitate women, youth, children, and vulnerable social group’s access to and adoption of agricultural Innovations that guarantee food, nutrition, income, and livelihood security in Africa. Her current roles include mentoring research fellows, development of guides and training manuals, implementation and adaptation of gender frameworks and tools, value chain actors’ engagement as citizen science partners, policy review and redesign, data management, and analysis. Her current research explores mixed methods and participatory and interdisciplinary approaches to capture and highlight gender dynamics, needs, preferences, and challenges stakeholders face within the agricultural livelihood value chain to prioritize gender-inclusive strategies in breeding programs, policy design, and implementation.
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