Clare Xanthos
Bio
Researcher & Writer. Interests: racial equity, social justice, cultural identity. Co-editor & an author of 2 chapters in the book "Social Determinants of Health among African-American Men." PhD in Social Policy (London School of Economics).
Stories (12)
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Opinion | Why Black Biraciality Makes People Uncomfortable
I recently published an article titled “The Double Marginalization of Black Biracial People.” In it, I argue that Black biracial individuals - those with one Black parent and one white parent who are socially identified as Black - face two forms of marginalization: anti-Black racism and monoracism. (Monoracism refers to a specific type of oppression that affects mixed-race individuals.)
By Clare Xanthos4 days ago in The Swamp
How Britain Creates Mental Illness: Racial Inequity, Misdiagnosis and a System that Won’t Change
Note: These problems are not unique to the UK. Across Western nations, Black populations face similar issues. Society’s tendency to blame the victim has always made me indignant, especially the pathologization of ethnic minorities. In the early 2000s, I became aware of the high rates of severe mental illness among Black people in the UK, often framed as individual pathology. This prompted me to research the issue, leading to a 2008 article, Racializing Mental Illness.
By Clare Xanthos8 months ago in The Swamp
Prejudiced Providers: Addressing Discrimination in Healthcare
[Note: A version of this article originally appeared on Medium.com on March 10, 2021.] In high-income countries, such as the US and the UK, Black populations died of COVID-19 at a staggering rate as compared with white populations. In the US, African Americans died of COVID-19 at 1.9 to 2.8 times the rate of white people; in the UK, Black men and women were respectively 4.2 and 4.3 times more likely than their white counterparts to die from a COVID-19-related illness.
By Clare Xanthosabout a year ago in The Swamp
A Biracial Man’s Plea to End Racial Categorization
Self Portrait in Black and White by “biracial” author Thomas Chatterton Williams is a memoir that makes the case for doing away with the racial categorization of human beings. He shares how the USA’s hyperracialized society forced him as a young person to exclusively identify as Black. However, relocating to France; marrying a white French woman; and especially, becoming the father of white-presenting children has now demonstrated to him the myth of race.
By Clare Xanthos2 years ago in The Swamp
Dimitri Tsafendas: South Africa’s Forgotten Freedom Fighter
It’s nearly 30 years since the end of legalized racial oppression in South Africa -- known officially as “apartheid.” However, most people still don’t know the name of an important anti-apartheid hero -- a man named Dimitri Tsafendas (pronounced “Sa-fendas”); October 7th marks the 24th anniversary of his death in a psychiatric hospital.
By Clare Xanthos2 years ago in The Swamp
When Prejudiced Providers Show Their True Colors
Over the last 20 years or so, a growing number of research articles and media reports have demonstrated that racial discrimination in healthcare is a serious issue. Indeed, discrimination in the healthcare setting is a significant cause of poor quality care among visible minorities in the US, UK, Canada, and other Western countries. This is demonstrated by the shocking racial disparities in quality of care across all medical specialties, as well as the testimonies of patients and healthcare workers of color. Furthermore, the evidence points to a systemic problem, rather than just “a few bad apples.”
By Clare Xanthos3 years ago in The Swamp
“Anti-Woke” - the New Code for Anti-Blackness
Whenever I read the article of a so-called “anti-woke” person, I pick up on the overwhelmingly negative, mean-spirited, and yes, anti-Black energy coming from the writer. This is not surprising, given that the term “anti-woke” – for the most part – is simply a cover for anti-Blackness. Those who describe themselves as “anti-woke” tend to couch their distaste for “wokeness” in terms of a general dislike of left-wing causes; but make no mistake, the anti-woke brigade’s primary obsession is an aversion to racial justice.
By Clare Xanthos3 years ago in The Swamp
Why We Need a New Civil Rights Act
Martin Luther King would have been truly disappointed that nearly 60 years since the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Americans of African descent continue to be relegated to the status of third-class citizens, marked out for unequal treatment, harassment, and worse. What’s more, this awful situation extends to many other countries; in 2023, we’re living in the midst of a pervasive global anti-Blackness.
By Clare Xanthos3 years ago in The Swamp
The Terrence Woods Story: An Untold Travesty of Racial Justice
On October 5th 2022, it was a staggering four years since American TV producer Terrence Woods allegedly disappeared while filming with the UK company, Raw TV. Woods’ co-workers claimed that he “ran down a cliff,” while on set at Penman mine in a remote part of Idaho, and apparently vanished into thin air. Aside from some attention from the Dr. Phil talk show, Vice.com, and a few local US news outlets, this story has been eerily ignored by the mainstream media. Furthermore, the limited coverage has been one-sided in its ready acceptance of Woods’ co-workers’ version of events, and its overwhelmingly colorblind approach in a case with obvious racial overtones.
By Clare Xanthos3 years ago in The Swamp
Some Observations on John McWhorter’s “Woke Racism”
For over two decades, Columbia University professor, John McWhorter, has produced anti-racial justice commentary, which has been eagerly lapped up by his racist fanbase. McWhorter, a self-described liberal (who is Black) is someone who implies that Black people should be grateful that slavery and Jim Crow were abolished; that modern racism is insignificant; and that anti-racism is a threat to American society.
By Clare Xanthos3 years ago in The Swamp
