Building power

Garza describes the successive “wars” that US presidents have waged on various groups, each adversely affecting Black and minoritised populations: the “war on drugs” (Ronald Reagan and George H W Bush), the “war on gangs” (Bill Clinton), the “war on terror” (George W Bush and Barack Obama) to, arguably, a war on truth under outgoing President Donald Trump. In the US example, an enduring history of racism, rooted in white supremacy, in the genocide of Indigenous people and the transatlantic slave trade, in housing laws resulting in segregation, the criminal justice system, and in public education, among other factors, results in the oppression of Black, Indigenous, and people of colour and in racial health inequities. [...]in building EqualHealth and the Social Medicine Consortium's global Campaign Against Racism, long-standing relationships, collective education, decentralised leadership, and iterative dialogue were a few of the key ingredients for success. Despite the recent widespread proclamations against racism, anti-racism work is subversive to the current global system of racial capitalism and is often poorly funded and supported. [...]movement-building efforts often rely on deep relationships and personal sacrifice instead of waiting for sustained funding.