Speech given at the MSU Student National Medical Association Annual Banquet on February 3, 2018

Opening Plenary Speech Given at The Sex, Lies and Ugly Truth (SLUT) Conference in Baltimore, MD on March 4, 2012

David Olawuyi Fakunle, Ph.D. is a self-described “mercenary for change,” willing to employ any talent and occupy any space in the effort to elevate people of African descent and anyone who feels divested from their truest self. David earned a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and prior to doctoral study earned a B.A. in Psychology and Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park. David’s research interests include sociodemographic relationships with stressors within the built environment, the manifestations of institutional racism in society, and the utilization of arts and culture to promote equity and ultimately, liberation.

On this episode of ‘At the Forefront’ we explore and debate the notion that racialization is a web without a spider, namely a system that currently exists even when the perpetuators of the system are seemingly not present.

Scholar Professor John Powell asserts ‘ “Racialization” connotes a process rather than a static event. It underscores the fluid and dynamic nature of race. Moreover, “racism” is understood as a consciously motivated force. “Racialization” implies a process or set of processes that may or may not be animated by conscious forces. “Racism” invites a search for a racist actor, much as a web suggests the presence of a spider. “Structural Racialization” is a set of processes that may generate disparities or depress life outcomes without any racist actors. It is a web without a spider. ‘ (Powell, JA. Poverty and Race (22)5:3-5.