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Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice

Website:

www.equinox-eu.com/
Type:

Human Rights Activist Group
Formation:

2020

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The Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice is a left-of-center activist organization in Europe that advocates against alleged racist polices and legislation within the European Union (EU) such as policies towards climate change, gender, law enforcement, and migration. 1 The group was founded in 2020 through funding by George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, (OSF). 2

Background

The Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice is a left-of-center activist group based in Europe that advocates against policies and legislation passed by the European Union (EU) it alleges to be racist. The group was co-founded by social activists Sarah Chander, Claire Gilder, and Alfiaz Vaiya; the group claimed they founded the organization was in response to Black Lives Matter-led protests within the United States during summer 2020 as well as the  Anti-Racism Action Plan passed by the European Parliament that same year. 3

Equinox claims to advocate on left-of-center policies towards issues including alleged racial profiling, social welfare, housing for illegal migrants, climate change, LGBT interests, sex workers, and undocumented individuals. 4

The organization’s methods include advocacy, movement building, and solidarity organizing. It also conducts research, publishes reports, and organizes both workshops and leadership programs. Specific EU policies the group has focused on include the EU Migration Pact as well as the EU Green Deal. 5

Work Areas and Advocacy

The Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice advocates for changes within specific European Union  (EU) institutions in order to address “structural racism and inequality.” 6 In its paper entitled Towards Racial Justice, Equinox claims that EU political leaders must admit to alleged “colonization, enslavement, genocides, and crimes against humanity” while committing to the “processes of recognition, reparation, and restitution by Member States.” 7

Equinox also focuses on policy advocacy towards climate change, gender, law enforcement, and migration. 6

In February 2021, Equinox and advocacy group European Network Against Racism sent a letter co-signed by 80 similar organizations to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen prior to the start of the EU Anti-Racism Summit that year claiming EU leaders must engage with individuals it claims are allegedly affected by institutional racism. The letter also called for increased aid towards supporting human rights groups within Europe. 8

Equinox claims that the European Green Deal (EGD) passed by the European Commission in July 2021 “does not address historical injustices, European colonialism, and imperialist extraction.” 9 In May 2021, prior to the EGD’s passage, Equinox published a report entitled “Towards Climate Justice” that recommended racial justice be considered with any EU climate policy. 10

In May 2021, Equinox published a position paper titled “Towards Gender Justice” which claimed that the idea of considering gender to be binary impedes “gender equity” and that EU policy must not focus solely on “equality between men and women” but should also consider “women, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, centering those who identify as racialised, those who live with disabilities, those who are migrant, trans, sex workers, lesbian or bi, working class.” 11

In June 2021, Equinox published a position paper titled “Who Protects Us From the Police?” which claimed of alleged police abuse and increased racism within EU member states. The paper advocated in favor of legislation to prohibit discrimination and increase law enforcement oversight. 12

In March 2022, Equinox co-signed a statement calling on the EU to ban predictive policing systems, or the process of using data including historic crime statistics to determine where to deploy police. The statement claimed that such systems in EU member states, “disproportionately target and discriminate against marginalized groups.” 13 Co-signers included Access Now and Human Rights Watch. 13

On its website, Equinox advocates for shutting down the EU border security agency Frontex, claiming it has “participated in serious human rights violations.” 14

In April 2024, Equinox co-signed a letter advocating for members of the European Parliament to reject a migration pact that would limit migration across borders by “managing migration,” claiming the pact would create “systemic violations of the fundamental rights of people.” Co-signers include Access Now, Amnesty International, Extinction Rebellion, Human Rights Watch, and Privacy International. 15 The EU migration pact would be passed that same year. Equinox is also a member of the Protect Not Surveil advocacy coalition, which co-signed a statement in April 2024 condemning part of the new the migration pact’s proposal allegedly allowing for increased digital surveillance of migrants.  16

Coalition and Supporters

The Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice lists 15 coalition supporters on its website as of 2024. These include the European branch of the Climate Action Network, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, Friends of the Earth, the International Committee on the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe, the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants, transgender advocacy group TGEU, and Women Against Violence – Europe. 17

Between 2020 and 2023, George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF)has provided several grants to the organization, including a $300,000 grant towards Equinox’s initial startup platform Each One Teach One. OSF awarded another $300,000 grant to the Each One Teach One platform in 2021, while providing a $250,000 grant in 2023 towards the group’s efforts, “to support the set-up of the Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice, who advocate at the EU level for the rights of racialized communities in Europe.” 18

Leadership

Co-founder and director Sarah Chander earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Warwick and a master’s degree in migration, mobility, and development from the University of London. Before founding Equinox, Chander worked as an advocacy officer at the European Network Against Racism and as a senior policy advisor at the European Digital Rights. 19

Co-founder Claire Gilder previously worked in the European Parliament as a political advisor on gender and race. 20

Co-founder Alfiaz Vaiya earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Leeds Beckett University and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Birmingham. He previously worked at the European Parliament Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance and the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup. Since 2020, he has worked in the UK House of Lords for Simon Andrew Woolley, Baron Woolley of Woodford, the founder of Operation Black Vote. 21

References

  1. “Our Work.” Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/our-work/
  2. “Awarded Grants.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=equinox+initiative+for+racial+justice&grant_id=OR2022-87552
  3. Towards Racial Justice. Page 7. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Published March 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/WEB-EQUINOX-Towards-racial-justice-EU-institutions.pdf
  4. “Our Coalition.” Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/our-coalition/
  5. “Support for Racial Justice in Europe – Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice.” Robert Bosch Stiftung. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en/project/support-racial-justice-europe/supported-organizations
  6. Towards Racial Justice. Page 6. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Published March 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/WEB-EQUINOX-Towards-racial-justice-EU-institutions.pdf
  7. Towards Racial Justice. Page 21. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Published March 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/WEB-EQUINOX-Towards-racial-justice-EU-institutions.pdf
  8. “Open Letter to European Commission President Von Der Leyen: EU Anti-Racism Summit Recommendations.” ENAR. February 17, 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.enar-eu.org/Open-letter-to-Commission-President-von-der-Leyen-EU-Anti-Racism-Summit/
  9. “Towards Climate Justice.” Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice – Resources. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/resources/
  10. Towards Climate Justice. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Published May 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Towards-Climate-Justice-Equinox.pdf
  11. Towards Gender Justice. Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Published May 2021. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Towards-Gender-Justice.pdf
  12. Who Protects Us from the Police? Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Published June 2021. Accessed October 17. 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Equinox-Who-Protects-Us-from-the-Police.pdf
  13. “AlgorithmWatch signs statement on ban of predictive policing in the Artificial Intelligence Act.” Algorithm Watch. March 1, 2022. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://algorithmwatch.org/en/ban-predictive-policing-aia/
  14.  “Why We Must Abolish Frontex.” Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice – Resources. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/resources/
  15. “Civil Society Organisations Call on MEPs to Vote Down Harmful EU Migration Pact.” Human Rights Watch. April 15, 2024. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/04/15/civil-society-organisations-call-meps-vote-down-harmful-eu-migration-pact
  16. “The EU Migration Pact: a dangerous regime of migrant surveillance.” State Watch. April 10, 2024. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.statewatch.org/news/2024/april/the-eu-migration-pact-a-dangerous-regime-of-migrant-surveillance/
  17. “Supporters Consortium.” Equinox Initiative for Racial Justice. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.equinox-eu.com/our-coalition/supporters-consortium/
  18. “Awarded Grants.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed October 16, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=equinox+initiative+for+racial+justice&grant_id=OR2022-87552
  19. LinkedIn – Sarah Chander. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-chander-765a0947/
  20. “Claire Gilder.” Green European Journal. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/article-author/claire-gilder/
  21. LinkedIn – Alfiaz Vaiya. Accessed October 17, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfiaz-vaiya-7370b4161/
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