Story at a glance
- Amnesty International released a report outlining documented and consistent incidents of racism in the workplace.
- The forms of racism ranged from more overt language to microaggressions.
- “It is necessary to actively interrogate bias and privilege to identify racism and active steps are needed to make an organisation and its staff anti-racist,” the report’s authors write.
The heavyweight human rights organization Amnesty International released findings from an internal report that suggest racism in the workplace, specifically anti-Black racism, is prevalent in the organization’s company culture.
Specific examples of instances of racism within the organization include use of derogatory phrases or “jokes,” aggressive and dismissive behavior, especially via email, and often directed at staff in the Global South, and a lack of sensitivity to religious practices.
“The International Board sees discrimination generally, and anti-Black racism specifically, as an issue of rights, justice, accountability, wellbeing, impact, legitimacy, and ultimately, life and death,” the report begins. “We want to extend our care and support to those members of staff for whom this moment is particularly personal and distressing, and our apologies to those who have experienced discrimination in the course of their work with Amnesty International.”
Amnesty defines racism as falling into three categories: overt racism, racial microaggressions and bias and systemic racism. These forms of discrimination encompass obvious racist actions or remarks to subtle or unconscious acts.
MORE FROM CHANGING AMERICA
WOMEN OF COLOR ARE TIPPING THE BALANCE OF POWER IN U.S. CITIES
NEW POLL FINDS RECORD NUMBER OF AMERICANS IDENTIFY AS LGBT
WHITE SUPREMACISTS DRIVE US DOMESTIC TERRORIST ATTACKS TO HIGHEST LEVEL IN 25 YEARS
GEORGE CLOONEY GETS INVOLVED IN GEORGE FLOYD MURDER TRIAL
When sampling employees, Amnesty found that staff working outside of European or other majority white countries reported more individual examples of racism and described broader systemic advantages and disadvantages within the agency.
In majority white offices, respondents were less likely to describe embedded dynamics of privilege in the workplace. Microaggressions were more commonly reported in these offices.
Pay inequities and frustration with leadership were also mentioned as lingering discrepancies, particularly with Amnesty’s human resources department and reporting system.
Alongside corporate accountability company Howlett Brown, Amnesty outlined its goal towards developing an anti-racist culture.
“It is necessary to actively interrogate bias and privilege to identify racism and active steps are needed to make an organisation and its staff anti-racist,” report authors write.
Recommendations from the focus groups surveyed include having all employees work to implement change, flexibility with external projects, improve grievance reporting processes and rebalancing priorities on North versus South offices.
MORE FROM CHANGING AMERICA
NY TIMES ESTIMATES WEALTHY AMERICANS ARE REFUSING TO PAY $1.4T IN UNCOLLECTED TAXES
THE SUPREME COURT COULD DEAL A MAJOR BLOW TO MINORITY VOTERS
BIDEN ADVISER REPORTEDLY SAYS WHITE HOUSE WILL START REPARATIONS TO BLACK COMMUNITY ‘NOW’
TAYLOR SWIFT BASHES NETFLIX AFTER ‘DEEPLY SEXIST JOKE’
changing america copyright.
