Emphasizing that pervasive, systemic racism in the US is being worsened by the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minorities, experts on racial justice have told Doha Debates’ #DearWorldLive program that Americans and their leaders must take urgent and overdue action to end racism in their country.

A production of Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates, the program was the first in a five-part series of weekly #DearWorldLive episodes examining racial injustice in the US and around the world.

The #DearWorldLive event was hosted by Nelufar Hedayat and also included Marc Lamont Hill, an activist, author, and university professor; Mikki Kendall, an activist and author; and Vikiana Petit-Homme, a Boston college student who organized thousands of teenagers to participate in gun reform efforts.

Hill explained that racism in America is vast and longstanding. Moreover, there is an immediate need to recognize that racial injustice, racial inequality, and white supremacy are integral features of American life. According to him, there has never been a moment where there has been an America and there have not been these issues.

He added, “What COVID-19 did is put yet another spotlight on the intersections of race, class, gender, and ability. Social distancing is an index of privilege as much as of medical awareness.”

Kendall underscored the COVID-19 racial challenges by saying: “Stay home and stay alive — but we didn’t do anything about homelessness. But we did not do anything about unsafe homes. We did not do anything about what it means to be able to afford to stay home. And so now we are saying that we want people to go back to work to keep the economy going. But we do not want them to need anything from us. We just want them to provide this.”

Saying the Black Lives Matter movement had put a fresh spotlight on racial inequality in the US, Kendall said Americans and, in many cases, the world, are witnessing discrimination and racist incidents like never before, thanks to videos of real-life tragic episodes seen on social media.

Petit-Homme stated that acknowledging racism is the first crucial step to be taken by Americans and people around the world to overcome it.  “It’s very important to have this conversation right now because anti-Blackness is a global struggle, racism is a global issue, and I think looking at the US is a good place to start,” she said. “The way racism presents itself in the US is like no other. It’s ingrained from the very founding to institutions and just to how people want to play politics right now.”

The live virtual event witnessed global attention and saw participants from the US, Qatar, Brazil, Canada, and the UK. Upcoming racism-focused #DearWorldLive programs will examine environmental injustice, art as protest, how to be an ally and healthcare.

#DearWorldLive episodes are live-streamed and can be seen on-demand on Doha Debates’ Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch channels and at DohaDebates.com/DearWorldLive.

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