Salzburg Global Seminar opposes injustice and racism in all its forms. We stand in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter and with all those who protest and speak out against violence and discrimination, in the United States and around the world.
The original sins of racism, slavery and genocide that underpin the foundations of the United States have never been adequately addressed. Policies and practices are still rooted in the subjugation and exploitation of people of color. Inequity, segregation, poverty, and institutionalized violence remain the norm for far too many people.
Current protests in the United States are a direct response to serial failures to redress this social, legal and economic legacy. The nation has failed to create a social contract that is fair and inclusive for all its citizens. Racism still shapes politics, funding, media discourse, and popular culture. Policing and judicial systems disproportionately exploit, harass, incarcerate and kill those whose ancestors were subject to slavery. The physical and psychological traumas of racism continue to traumatize generation upon generation.
Events in America have prompted demonstrations and public dissent around the world. Citizens of other countries are not only standing in solidarity but also challenging their own nations’ histories, including the failure to confront legacies and symbols of colonial oppression, barriers related to race and class, and the perpetuation of discrimination and inequality.
Fundamental change calls for national reckoning. In racialized societies, white people benefit while many people of color suffer disproportionately: as COVID-19 highlights, they lack equal access to food and housing, health care, education, jobs, and pay. In the United States, the embrace of a far-right racist and xenophobic political agenda, the lack of accountability for police brutality, and routine violence against black citizens – most recently the killing of George Floyd – lay bare the systemic injustice at the heart of American society.
To dismantle systems of white supremacy, we need to listen hard to the stories of people of color and to acknowledge the complicity and implicit biases that pervade society and shape those experiences. We need to use all platforms and positions of privilege to share and amplify marginalized voices. Until structural and historical injustices are openly addressed, the work of these protests will not be done and democracy will be incomplete.
Salzburg Global Seminar, born out of conflict in 1947, challenges current and future leaders to shape a creative, just and sustainable world. Through this commitment, we reaffirm the radical vision and values that underpinned our founding.
We challenge ourselves to look inward and outward to deliver our mission. We have already begun to embed action against injustice and racism across all our programs and to address structural issues within our organization and facilities. We commit to listen to and amplify voices that may go unheard, and to work with our Fellows and partners to transform systems for true equity in the United States and around the world.
Today we are launching an open space for our diverse global community to share views and proposals for action. Everyone is welcome. For more information, please click here, or send your ideas to betterworld@salzburgglobal.org.