Antiracist Events
Various events are organised at ETH Zurich to mark different days of action, such as the International Day against Racism. Current and past events and important terms with explanations are listed below.
During the ‘Week against Racism’ (18-22 March), ETH Diversity posted on external page LinkedIn. Many different racism-critical explanations of terms, contact points, podcast and exhibition tips and more were featured.
At an event to mark the day against sexual harassment at Swiss universities (25 April), it was shown how sexual harassment is intersectionally linked to abuse of power and discrimination such as racism.
Black History Month (October)
Various events were organised at ETH to mark Black History Month in October. In addition to its origins in the US, October or February has also been declared Black History Month in various European countries to celebrate the ongoing achievements and contributions of Black people around the world. It is also a time to fight racism and ensure that Black history is represented and celebrated throughout the year.
(26.10.22) "Spaces that were not meant for me" - Exclusionary, racialised spaces in Switzerland (EN)
Social scientist Danielle Isler shares her expertise on inclusion in academia. In the public lecture on ‘Whitened Spaces and Institutions’, she explains how such spaces are constructed and maintained, how they create exclusions and what can be done about them.
(01.11.22) "How could I have behaved?" - Allyship workshop (EN)
Online workshop with Danielle Isler for ETH members who are not affected by racism themselves and want to act as allies against racism. We will discuss and analyse how, where and when allies can get involved and reflect on our own identity and behaviour.
(02.11.22) "If I had known that..." - Empowerment workshop (EN)
This online workshop is about the empowerment of BIPoC. In a space of compassion, all participants should be heard, can question internalised, harmful beliefs and courageously unlearn. Knowledge can create change, self-confidence and empowerment.
Emergence of Black History Month
Black History Month began in 1926 in the USA - at that time as Black History Week. The African-American historian Carter G. Woodson initiated the week of action. Woodson wanted to draw attention to the marginalization of Black history in the USA. As a result, schools, museums and universities developed similar weeks of events and expanded them throughout the month of February. February was chosen because it coincides with the birthdays of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and civil rights activist and writer Frederick Douglass. Both played important roles in the abolition of slavery. Since 1976, every U.S. president to date has officially declared February as Black History Month in the United States of America.
In Europe, October has also become Black History Month to celebrate the continued achievements and contributions of Black people around the world. It's also a time for continued action to tackle racism, and ensure Black history is represented and celebrated all year round.
‘Let's Talk about Diversity!’ series of events
The series of events in 2020 drew attention to diversity and experiences of racism in one's own environment. Knowledge and personal experiences of diverse groups and individuals were shared with participants in talks, interviews, films and workshops, and participants reflected on their own behaviour.
Virtual film screening of ‘I'm not your negro!’
In November, ETH members were able to watch the award-winning film from 2016. Raoul Peck's film shows a collage of interviews from the 1960s and 70s with the American writer James Baldwin, the lives of various civil rights activists and more recent images of the unrest in Ferguson, USA.
The film streaming was followed on 25 November by a Q&A with Estefania Cueno, a diversity trainer who deals specifically with the topic of racism, including in the context of European universities.
Webinar ‘Racism, implicit bias and well-being’
The webinar with diversity specialist Anton Blank on unconscious and conscious racism, well-being, unconscious bias (distorted perception), the Pygmalion or Rosenthal effect, stereotypes and microaggression took place on 1 December.
Anti-Racism Resources
For anyone seeking anti-racism reading have a look at our list of anti-racism resources. There you can find a few valuable books, social media links and podcasts in English, German and French.
Important Terms and Explanation
BIPoC is an acronym and stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The term PoC encompasses all individuals who are not White and who are affected by specific kinds of racism, e.g., Anti-Asian racism, Anti-Black racism, Anti-Muslim racism, etc. The term BIPoC should acknowledge that not all people of Color face equal levels of injustice.
Creating this allyship workshop as a braver space enables people to discuss about racism, allyship and reflect on past events and interactions facing racism. Importantly, it is not about answering the question "Do people experience racism and are theyharmed by racism?" but rather "When people are harmed by racism, how will we face it together?"
The concept of race has been proven scientifically not to be meaningful from a biological perspective. It is a social construct and was invented in the 1400s by Western Europeans to describe human beings and to put them in a societal order. The racial category White was always associated with superiority. Although biological races don't exist, people are still racialized and put into categories based on characteristics such as skin colour, features, religion, etc. Racism is the structural, institutional, interpersonal and internalized discrimination of racialized people.
Safer Space is a concept that refers to an autonomous space and is created for individuals who feel marginalized or discriminated to come together to communicate regarding their experiences with such marginalization/discrimination. They are most commonly located on university campuses in the western world, but also at workplaces.