Black Achievement Award for Gloria Wekker, Philomena Essed en Leo Balai

Professor Dr Gloria Wekker, Professor Dr Philomena Essed and Dr Leo Balai together win the Black Achievement 2017 in the category Science. The researchers themselves chose to be appointed as winners together. With this award, the National Institute Dutch Slavery History and Legacy (Dutch name: Nationaal Instituut Nederlands Slavernijverleden en Erfenis, NiNsee) wants to draw attention to the recognition of black talent and black heroes and their contributions to Dutch society. The award was presented last Sunday at the end of the Black Achievement Month.

Gloria Wekker

Gloria Wekker is an emeritus professor of Gender and Ethnicity at the Faculty of Humanities of Utrecht University. Wekker is very influential on the discourse on racism and white supremacy with the 2016 publication of her book White Innocence: Paradoxes of colonialism and Race based on 20 years of research. In the book, Wekker wrote about the Dutch colonial history and institutional racism in Dutch society. The Science Guide of 4 September 2017 placed Wekker in the top 10 of influential politicians, scientists and experts.

Philomena Essed

Philomena Essed is an affiliated researcher at the Graduate Gender Program of Utrecht University. Essed became primarily well-known because of her book Alledaags Racisme. She is a professor in Critical Race, Gender and Leadership studies at the Antioch University in America. Besides her academic career, she took part in advisory and selection committees and The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights.