On Thursday, March 18th, students and staff virtually met for the 3rd Action Plan Against Institutional Racism meetup. Following an introductory presentation, participants engaged in a fruitful discussion surrounding actions, successes, and future plans. Students acknowledged that a lot of the actions created in the previous meetings had been realized; one including the diversification of literature, with more writers of color being included in reading lists and lectures. Future actions, such as the introduction of podcast groups, webinars, a lecture series, and a student board handbook were suggested. Also suggested was that next year a GMD PA student should join the Public Administration Programme Committee, in order to have a say on developments in the PA programme. There will be efforts made next year to ensure board members are aware of this vacancy and the possibilities it brings.
In order to guarantee the longevity of the plan, students recommended that the discussion be escalated to the institutional level, where different departments become more involved in anti-racism. Similarly, the student board proposed drafting a handbook that will be passed down to the next cohort in order to ensure that anti-racism remains a central topic. Although strides have been made in the past few months, there was a consensus amongst participants that more can be done; including amplifying the work of scholars of color outside the topic of anti-racism. In the coming months, a series of podcast discussion groups will be organized to facilitate discussion around the topic.