Anti-Racism Statement and Resources


Anti-Racism Statement

We, the IAFMHS Student Board, commit to actively engaging in the process of anti-racist allyship and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. We acknowledge our part in raising awareness not only about the uncountable deaths of BIPOC (i.e., Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community members as a result of race-related violence, but also about every individual enduring racism in their everyday lives. Racism is pervasive – systems across every context of our society are affected by the oppression of individuals identifying as BIPOC. Importantly, racism in all of its facets is a persistent human rights concern that expands across the globe.

IAFMHS is an international organization built on a dedication to improving forensic services, the lives of forensic patients, and the safety of our society. These goals cannot be attained without a commitment to taking anti-racist actions and lifting the voices of the BIPOC communities. Our support belongs to those who have historically been marginalized and continue to be marginalized in our present society. We acknowledge the privileges we hold as individuals and members of the IAFMHS Student Board, and we are committed to exploring our positionalities and the structures of our organization further.

We specifically call on our White-identifying student members around the world to join us on the conscious, active, and continuous journey of anti-racist allyship that empowers us to reflect upon the privileges and biases we benefit from in the White supremacist systems we occupy. We are responsible for listening to the voices and experiences of those who face discrimination and inequality, for intentionally taking on the emotional labour of unlearning conscious and unconscious racism, and for advocating for lasting change in ourselves, our profession, and our environments. It is only then that we can move towards a society in which Black Lives Matter AND others are valued in their totality.

Below, we have included a few resources that we have found helpful in educating ourselves. Please note that this list is by no means exhaustive. We will be sharing more resources via social media and on our website and are working diligently on a long-term plan to actively support the BLM movement.

We invite our student members to get engaged by sharing their ideas, additional resources, and thoughts on how the IAFMHS Student Board can help address systemic racism and advance equity and justice. If you are interested in becoming involved in our action plans and future initiatives, please email us at students@iafmhs.org.

The IAFMHS Student Board



Anti-Racism Resources

General resources:

Podcasts:

Documentaries, movies, and shows:

  • 13th: Documentary by Ava DuVernay on the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States — available on Netflix.
  • The Innocence Files: Documentary detailing the personal stories behind 8 cases of wrongful conviction that The Innocence Project and affiliated organizations have worked to highlight and overturn —  available on Netflix.
  • Just Mercy: Film by Destin Daniel Cretton, based on the true story of Walter McMillian, who, like many other Black men, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death. Civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson takes on the case — available on Amazon and Youtube.
  • The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson: Film by David France about Marsha P. Johnson, the Black transgender activist who was at the heart of NYC’s gay liberation movement – available on Netflix.
  • Selma: Film by Ava DuVernay on the historical events surrounding the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, a campaign by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure equal voting rights in the South – available on Youtube and Amazon.
  • When They See Us: Mini-series by Ava DuVernay –  available on Netflix.
  • First Australians The untold story of Australia: First Australians chronicles the birth of contemporary Australia as never told before, from the perspective of its first people. First Australians explores what unfolds when the oldest living culture in the world is overrun by the world's greatest empire - available on DocPlay.
  • I am not your Negro: The Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro is based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House, a stirring, personal account of the lives and deaths of his friends and US Civil Rights Movement leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. - available on YouTube, Amazon, and DocPlay.
  • The Tall Man: When Cameron Doomadgee was found dead in the Palm Island police station, his injuries were like those of someone who’d been in a fatal car crash. The police claimed he had tripped on a step. The Palm Islanders rioted and burnt down the police station- available on Amazon and DocPlay.
  • 3 ½ Minutes. Ten Bullets: 3 ½  minutes, Ten Bullets dissect the aftermath of the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis and the trial of Michael Dunn who, in 2012, shot him repeatedly at a Florida gas station for playing his music too loudly - available on Amazon, DocPlay, and Hulu.
  • We are the Giant: Six extraordinary individuals who grapple with the dilemma at the heart of struggles for justice and freedom - available on Amazon, DocPlay, and Tubi TV.
  • Putaparri and the Rainmakers: Putuparri and the Rainmakers is a universal story about the sacred relationship between people and place. It takes audiences on a rare and emotional journey to meet the traditional rainmakers of Australia's Great Sandy Desert who have fought a twenty-year battle to win back their traditional homeland - available on DocPlay and AppleTV.
  • Quest: This intimate chronicle of an African-American family in Philadelphia spans eight years, beginning at the dawn of the Obama presidency. Parents Christopher "Quest" Rainey, and Christine’a "Ma Quest” Rainey navigate the hardship and strife that grips their North Philly neighborhood as they raise their children, and cultivate a creative sanctuary - available on DocPlay and Tubi TV.
  • Do Not Resist: An urgent and powerful exploration of the rapid militarization of the police in the United States - available on Amazon and DocPlayBooks:
  • The New Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - available on Amazon and Audible.
    Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software