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In a keynote speech entitled “The State of Racism and Anti-Black Racism in the World Today,” she addressed contemporary manifestations of anti-Black racism, including systemic injustices underpinned by colonialism.
Halliday discussed concepts such as racial neo-liberalism, identity politics, and performative allyship, while highlighting the agency and resistance of Black communities. She also examined the implications for churches and the importance of theological reflections in combating racism.
“I come today as one who is deeply grounded in the church, and who is eager to engage in conversation with you, my friends in the church,” she said. “For us to talk about anti-Black racism, we first need to talk about what we mean by racism.”
Racism is described as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership to a particular racial group.
“Racism can be about political, economic, or legal institutions and systems that engage in or perpetuate discrimination on the basis of race,” said Halliday. “Racism is a global phenomenon with contextual manifestations.”
This is reality that was affirmed by the United Nations World Conference Against Racism in 2001, she noted. “I would note that there are many different types of racism: we could name racism broadly; or more specifically: anti-Indigenous racism, or anti-Asian racism, or casteism. They are all rooted in oppression and injustices,” she said. “They are all different forms of racism targeting different and diverse racial groups.”
Certainly, Halliday noted, in the North American context, anti-Black racism exists in all institutions—including our churches. “Yes, our churches are among the places that perpetuate anti-Black racism,” she said. “Anti-Black racism denies power, resources, and opportunities to Black peoples.”
She added that experiences of enslavement and colonization are particularly relevant for this conversation.
“I will also name that anti-Black racism as systemic: that is, there are particular patterns in society that disproportionately and negatively affect Black peoples globally,” she said. “It is disproportionate, that is, it affects a much higher number of Black peoples, as a group.”
Racism is still very real and still systemic, she said. “It is explicit and implicit, it is always rooted in power imbalances.”
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