Why Anti-Racism Efforts Are Failing (And How to Fix Them)
In recent years, many organizations have jumped on the anti-racism bandwagon. They have issued statements, handed out pins, and hosted diversity workshops. But let’s be honest: how much has actually changed? For many, these efforts feel like little more than performative gestures—well-meaning but ultimately hollow. The truth is, the current system isn’t working. Here’s why, and what we can do to fix it.
Why the Current System is Broken
1. Symbols Over Substance
Too often, anti-racism is reduced to slogans, logos, and social media posts. While these actions can raise awareness, they don’t address the root causes of racial inequity. Real change requires more than a hashtag or a pin—it requires systemic action.
2. No Accountability
Many organizations talk a big game about diversity and inclusion, but without clear goals, timelines, or consequences for inaction, these promises ring empty. It’s easy to say you support anti-racism; it’s much harder to actually do the work.
3. Ignoring Systemic Barriers
Racism isn’t just about individual prejudice—it’s embedded in policies, practices, and cultures. Yet many anti-racism efforts focus solely on changing individual behaviour (like implicit bias training) while ignoring structural issues like biased hiring practices, pay gaps, or unequal access to opportunities.
4. Tokenism
Hiring one or two people from marginalized groups doesn’t make an organization diverse or inclusive. Tokenism creates the illusion of progress while leaving systemic inequities untouched.
5. Resistance to Change
Let’s face it: change is hard, especially when it challenges the status quo. Many people—especially those who benefit from the current system—are resistant to anti-racist policies, whether out of fear, defensiveness, or outright denial.
6. Short-Term Thinking
Anti-racism is often treated as a one-time project rather than an ongoing commitment. But racism isn’t a problem that can be solved with a single training session or diversity initiative. It requires sustained effort over time.
7. Lack of Representation
If marginalized groups aren’t involved in decision-making, how can policies truly address their needs? Too often, decisions about anti-racism are made by those who have never experienced racism first-hand.
8. Underfunded Efforts
Real change requires real resources. Yet many anti-racism initiatives are underfunded, leaving them without the tools or support needed to make a meaningful impact.
How to Build Anti-Racist Policies That Actually Work
If we’re serious about creating a more equitable world, we need to move beyond symbolism and take concrete action. Here’s how:
1. Start with a Hard Look in the Mirror
Before you can fix a problem, you need to understand it. Conduct a thorough audit of your organization’s policies, practices, and culture. Where are the racial inequities? Who’s being left behind? Use data to identify gaps and set benchmarks for progress.
2. Set Clear Goals (and Measure Them)
Vague promises like “we support diversity” aren’t enough. Set specific, measurable goals—like increasing the percentage of underrepresented hires, closing pay gaps, or reducing disparities in disciplinary actions. Then track your progress and hold yourself accountable.
3. Tackle Systemic Barriers Head-On
Anti-racism isn’t just about changing hearts and minds—it’s about changing systems. Eliminate biased hiring practices, ensure pay equity, and reform disciplinary policies that disproportionately harm marginalized groups.
4. Create Accountability Structures
Without accountability, even the best intentions can fall flat. Designate a team or individual to oversee anti-racist initiatives, publish regular progress reports, and establish consequences for failing to meet goals.
5. Invest in Education and Training
Education is key to building a more inclusive culture—but it can’t stop at a one-time workshop. Provide ongoing training on systemic racism, implicit bias, and inclusive practices. Equip leaders with the tools they need to drive change.
6. Amplify Marginalized Voices
If marginalized groups aren’t at the table, they’re on the menu. Ensure diverse representation in leadership and decision-making roles, and create platforms for marginalized voices to be heard.
7. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Real change requires real resources. Dedicate funding to anti-racist initiatives, support employee resource groups, and invest in long-term solutions rather than quick fixes.
8. Foster a Culture of Inclusion
Anti-racism isn’t just about policies—it’s about people. Encourage open dialogue about race and racism, celebrate diversity, and address microaggressions head-on.
9. Commit for the Long Haul
Anti-racism isn’t a checkbox; it’s a journey. Stay informed, adapt your policies as needed, and keep pushing forward—even when it’s hard.
The current system isn’t working because it prioritizes symbolism over systemic change. But we can do better. By addressing systemic barriers, fostering accountability, and committing to long-term action, we can build anti-racist policies that create real, lasting change. It won’t be easy, but it’s worth it. Let’s stop talking about anti-racism and start living it.
Developing a comprehensive approach to FGM: What can you do?
A lot has been said about FGM but what can you do to help stop this horrific practise?
FGM strikes at the heart of our societies and involves multiple issues; only through a multidisciplinary approach can efficient progress be achieved in abandoning FGM.
Parliaments should work in synergy with civil society, traditional chiefs and religious leaders, women’s and youth movements and governments to ensure that their actions are complementary and coordinated.
Strategies for the abandonment of FGM must be developed in a framework of the promotion of human rights, the right to education, health, development and poverty reduction.
Changing mentalities
Parliaments should also work on awareness and changing mentalities. Because of the social status incumbent upon their office, members of parliament are in a position to address sensitive issues and have an impact on public opinion and mentalities. Awareness activities conducted jointly with community leaders, religious leaders and women’s and youth groups at the community level have a decisive impact.
Cooperation with the media is vital; modern and traditional media need to be involved in all strategies aimed at abandoning the practice, through awareness, communication and information campaigns.
It is crucial to ensure that the message sent out regarding abandonment of FGM is positive, non-judgemental and consistent. All the actors involved must speak with the same voice.
Education plays a fundamental role in the prevention of FGM. With this in mind, it is necessary to review school curricula at all levels, to sensitize teachers, and to keep girls in school up until they reach higher education in order to delay marriage and possibly avoid the genital mutilation that often precedes it.
Any action aimed at ensuring the abandonment of FGM must be coupled with initiatives for community development, in particular through the improvement of the living conditions of women and children, as part of the fight against poverty.
The drafting of national action plans for the abandonment of FGM should make it possible to identify the different roles and responsibilities of the actors involved, to ensure proper coordination and the complementarities of the efforts undertaken. The adoption of clear objectives with specific time frames also facilitates synergy among the various actors. So parliament has a big role to play.
It is possible to end female genital mutilation in this generation if we all play our part. No child or woman should go through this horrific practice. Stop FGM, it is violence and abuse against women and children.
Abandoning FGM: Key Elements for change
Many of us believe that the way to their lover’s heart is through their stomach and simply feed them everything and anything they like. But when someone like Christian Grey creates rules around food, it’s more than just the heart he’s after.
Maintaining optimal health through good nutrition has a very positive effect on our entire wellbeing and that includes the libido. Our sex drive and appetite are governed by our hormones and when our diet doesn’t contain the necessary minerals, vitamins and trace elements, our sex hormones get out of sync and we lose our mojo, which makes the world a very sad and dreary place indeed.
To avoid this we need to introduce a couple of deliciously decadent aphrodisiacs in to our daily diet.
Allow Masterchef or any one of the many other foodie programmes to inspire you. Challenge your amateur cheffing skills and spend some time in the kitchen rustling up a couple of tasty tidbits as part of foreplay.
Toss together a salad which includes asparagus spears and avocado pear, both of which are rich in folic acid and boosts the production of histamine. This feeds the brain, which is the biggest sex organ of all. The zinc in a raw oyster aids the release of hormones that boosts your libido and encourages the production of sperm, which by the way, will be vastly improved in flavour if regular helpings of pineapple are introduced into your man’s diet. A tasty and healthy way to do this is to make a fruit salad with pineapple, strawberries and bananas. These are all rich in chelating minerals and the bromeliad enzymes which are guaranteed to get the libido soaring.
Throw in a handful of almonds and trickle over some sweet, sticky honey, which is a great source of boron and the B vitamins, and you and your partner will be well on the way to enjoying an enhanced sex drive and more intense and frequent orgasms.
Sharing foods which are psychologically suggestive, have psychoactive properties or help maintain good blood flow to the sex organs is bound to get you both in the mood and keep it that way. And then when your man starts to take a leaf out of Grey’s book and says things like, “I’m not a hearts and flowers kind of man … I don’t do romance. My tastes are very singular,” you’ll know that his hormones are at optimum level and that it’s time to reintroduce a little moon light and roses.
Romance is important too. Bring out the chocolates. We all adore these. They make us feel good and are full of the love chemical PEA which does wonders for releasing dopamine in the pleasure centre of the brain.
Make the most of life!
Ten ways to be positive
Concrete field experience, together with insights from academic theory and lessons learned from the experience of foot binding in China suggest that six key elements can contribute to transforming the social convention of cutting girls and encourage the rapid and mass abandonment of the practice.
· A non-coercive and non-judgmental approach whose primary focus is the fulfilment of human rights and the empowerment of girls and women is needed.
Communities tend to raise the issue of FGM when they increase their awareness and understanding of human rights and make progress toward the realisation of those they consider to be of immediate concern, such as health and education.
Despite taboos regarding the discussion of FGM, the issue emerges because group members are aware that the practice causes harm. Community discussion and debate contribute to a new understanding that girls would be better off if everyone abandoned the practice.
· Awareness on the part of a community of the harm caused by the practice is needed. Through non-judgmental, non-directive public discussion and reflection, the costs of FGM tend to become more evident as women – and men – share their experiences and those of their daughters.
The decision to abandon the practice as a collective choice of a group that intra-marries or is closely connected in other ways. FGM is a community practice and, consequently, is most effectively given up by the community acting together rather than by individuals acting on their own. Successful
transformation of the social convention ultimately rests with the ability of members of the group to organize and take collective action.
· An explicit, public affirmation on the part of communities of their collective commitment to abandon FGM. It is necessary, but not sufficient, that most members of a community favour abandonment.
A successful shift requires that they manifest – as a community – the will to abandon. This may take various forms, including a joint public declaration in a large public gathering or an authoritative written statement of the collective commitment to abandon.
· A process of organized diffusion to ensure that the decision to abandon FGM spreads rapidly from one community to another and is sustained is important.
Communities must engage neighbouring towns so that the decision to abandon FGM can be spread and sustained. It is particularly important to engage those communities that exercise a strong influence. When the decision to abandon becomes sufficiently diffused, the social dynamics that originally perpetuated the practice can serve to accelerate and sustain its abandonment.
Where previously there was social pressure to perform FGM, there will be social pressure to abandon the practice. When the process of abandonment reaches this point, the social convention of not cutting becomes self-enforcing and abandonment continues swiftly and spontaneously.
Success in promoting the abandonment of FGM also depends on the commitment of government, at all levels, to introduce appropriate social measures and legislation, complemented by effective advocacy and awareness efforts. Civil society forms an integral part of this enabling environment. In particular, the media have a key role in facilitating the diffusion process. Together we can end female genital mutilation for good.