Advancing racial justice through philanthropy: A Study of the Mexican Context

• In Event: Activism and Social Justice in Social Work

Abstract

The paper addresses the pivotal role of philanthropy support organizations like the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (Cemefi) in effectively promoting racial justice. The work offers an analysis and reflection derived from a study that addressed the relationship between Mexican institutional philanthropy and racism and was recently conducted by a research team from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Gall, Rodríguez, Alatorre, Ramírez, 2023) as a result of a collaboration between Cemefi and UNESCO.

The study referred to sought to offer recommendations and promote specific anti-racist actions in the field of philanthropy in Mexico, a country where racism has been historically denied due to the specific forms it has adopted in our history and in contemporary society (Gall, Iturriaga, Morales, Rodríguez, 2022). Due to the invisibilization of the problem and the fact that it is a complex and structural phenomenon intertwined with other systems of power, racism in Mexico has not always been clearly acknowledged (Gall 2021).

The study was unique in its focus on identifying racism within philanthropic organizations in Mexico, though filling a critical gap in the existing literature on philanthropy. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the issue, a mixed-methodology approach was employed: a total of 285 philanthropic organizations were invited to participate with 70 organizations responding to a quantitative questionnaire and then, from this sample, 10 organizations were selected for in-depth interviews.

The study revealed significant findings in the awareness, actions and biases of Mexican philanthropic organizations. Most organizations fail to identify racism as a pressing issue and lack a clear understanding of it, many do not consider racism in their projects or strategies, and moreover, the study identifies prevalent racist prejudices such as stereotyping indigenous, Afro-descendant and migrant populations (Gall, Rodríguez, Alatorre, Ramírez, 2023).

Among the actors to whom recommendations were made on the study was Cemefi. Assigning the institution a predominantly catalytic role, the recommendations addressed aspects of awareness raising and training; the generation, systematization and socialization of information; and the establishment and strengthening of alliances (Gall, Rodríguez, Alatorre, Ramírez, 2023). This paper seeks to take up these routes and the specific proposed actions and, in this way, delve into the potential of philanthropy support organizations to promote a decolonial, anti-racist and transformative paradigm.

Recognizing that racism poses a global challenge and that, therefore, its implications are international in scope, we emphasize the importance of generating transnational dialogues that leverage diverse experiences and knowledge, always bearing in mind the importance of contextualizing them to each circumstance.

In conclusion, the study on which we rely shed light on the issue of racism and philanthropy in Mexico and it is important to deepen the recommendations it put on the table for philanthropy support institutions. By recognizing and addressing these issues, philanthropy can play a crucial role in promoting a more egalitarian and just society.

References

Gall, Olivia (2021). “A Short Version of the Long Duration Story of Mexican Sui Generis Racism”. Ana Barahona (Ed.). Handbook of the Historiography of Latin American Studies on the Life Sciences and Medicine. Berlín: Springer

Gall, Olivia; Iturriaga, Eugenia; Morales, Diego; Rodríguez, Jimena (2022). El racismo, recorridos conceptuales e históricos. México: SDI-UNAM. https://surxe.sdi.unam.mx/media/attachments/2023/05/29/el-racismo_pdf-web_cdoi.pdf

Gall, Olivia; Rodríguez, Alatorre y Ramírez (2023). Diagnóstico sobre el antirracismo y hoja de ruta: recomendaciones sobre cómo avanzar la agenda antirracista desde la filantropía mexicana.

Authors

• Ana Maria Sanchez, Centro Mexicano para la Filantropia CEMEFI

• Paulina Botella, Centro Mexicano para la Filantropia CEMEFI