Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

Advancing an Anti-Racist Transatlantic Agenda

RSVP Required Open to the Public

Please join the Project on Europe and the Transatlantic Relationship for a panel discussion on efforts to advance an anti-racist transatlantic agenda with three policymakers: Caroline Abadie, Member of the French National Assembly; Oona King, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Snap Inc and former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom; and Desirée Cormier Smith, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. This discussion will be moderated by Torrey Taussig, Research Director, and Erika Manouselis, Project Coordinator.

Systemic racism is a critical problem for societies on both sides of Atlantic. Following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in May 2020, protests erupted around the world and sparked national reckonings about the injustices faced by African Americans and Black Europeans. Many of these injustices are the same - from mass incarcerations and racial profiling to health inequities and targeting by xenophobic and racist digital disinformation campaigns.

Meanwhile, President Biden has made racial inequality a major focus for his new administration. He has created a new Chief Diversity Officer role for the U.S. Department of State. The United Kingdom and France have both recently published government commissioned reports on racism and policy recommendations to address racial inequalities within their countries.

What actions can U.S. and European local and national governments take to address issues of systemic racism and minority rights? How do we tackle racism and racial discrimination within our governmental and intergovernmental institutions and increase diversity and inclusion? And how can U.S. and European institutions work together to make progress?

Date: Time: - Location: Online
Black Lives Matter protests in Paris and London

ABOUT

Caroline Abadie is a Member of the French National Assembly (La République En Marche!) for l’Isère. Elected in June 2017 with 63.9 % of the vote, she currently serves as a Member of the Law, Legislation and General Administration Commission; as President of the Prisons and Prison Conditions study group; and as Rapporteur of the recent report “on the evolution of different forms of racism and the responses to address them.” After studying private law at Pierre Mendès France University and receiving a master’s degree in law and an MBA, she worked as head of recruitment at an IT company. She was born in Saint-Martin-d’Hères in the Grenoble region in the south of France.

Oona King is Snap’s first VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Her role is to help build an employee culture that represents the diversity of global users as well as to make Snap a diverse and inclusive company at all levels. Oona came from Google, where she was director of diversity strategy. She has extensive experience from a variety of industries including technology, media, and politics, having been senior policy advisor to the British Prime Minister on Equalities, Diversity and Faith. She was the second black woman elected to British Parliament earlier in her career, serving for the Labour Party from 1997 to 2005. She also held head of diversity and inclusion roles at both YouTube and the British Broadcaster, Channel 4. Oona has written for The Guardian, New Statesman, Sunday Telegraph, Express and Observer, and has been a presenter for television and radio documentaries.

Desirée Cormier Smith is the Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, she was the Senior Policy Advisor for Africa, Europe, and Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations. In this role, she led the global foundation’s U.S. advocacy strategy and execution on a wide range of human rights issues in these dynamic and diverse issues. From 2015 until 2020, she was the Senior Director with Albright Stonebridge Group’s Africa Practice, where she advised and assisted private and social sector clients on growth strategies across the African continent. Ms. Cormier began her career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State with assignments in Mexico, South Africa, and Washington, D.C. From 2014 to 2015, she was the African Union and Multilateral Affairs Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs, where she facilitated USG engagement with partner countries on areas of mutual concern in sub-Saharan Africa, including the Ebola outbreak. From 2012 until 2014, Ms. Cormier served as Staff Assistant to the Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Pretoria. From 2010 until 2012, she was a Consular Officer at U.S. Consulate General Tijuana, Mexico where she adjudicated non-immigrant visas, assisted arrested U.S. citizens and reported on their conditions, and organized various public diplomacy and cultural events on behalf of the Consulate.