With the rest of the world, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute has been horrified by the death of George Floyd and the deep-seated social injustices that it represents.
The institute is hopeful of the conversations that now unfold and the worldwide calls for more just societies where the human dignity and rights of all are protected.
Most states are reluctant to accept that structural racism is an everyday reality for many in their societies: in the class room, at work, when going to the bar, renting an apartment or in the encounter with the police.
What we have seen in the US clearly shows that some of the defenses have to come down and a more open and unprejudiced conversation about racism in our societies has to be initiated, says Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, and former member of the UN Committee on Eliminiation of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
In European countries, including Sweden, the most discriminated group is people of African descent.
The RWI held a round table on racial discrimination at the Swedish labor market in 2019 that we hope to follow up later this year.