On August 26th, the #ItsRacism campaign was launched in Mexico City. In collaboration with UNESCO, the Mexico City Council to Prevent and Eliminate Discrimination (COPRED), and the city’s Secretariat of Inclusion and Social Welfare (SIBISO), the civil association Racismo MX aims to “spark collective reflection on the impacts of racism.”
Each of the ads, which will be displayed on various public transportation systems throughout the metropolis, will feature the campaign through different phrases and photographs. According to the official statement, the images “allude to the ways in which racism manifests in people’s daily lives.” The models featured in the campaign are people of color, indigenous, and Afro-Mexican. The photographic portraits, created by the Racismo MX team, highlight “the diversity of people, bodies, and experiences that face” this type of discrimination in their daily lives.
This campaign seeks to promote the reporting of acts of discrimination, includes COPRED’s phone number and email address. It also features the official Racismo MX website to promote the “Racistometer,” a “tool for reporting, data visualization, and accompaniment” led by the civil association. Through the website, people can report incidents of violence and discrimination, as well as receive legal advice.
Discrimination in Mexico and the Capital
According to the National Survey on Discrimination (ENADIS), discrimination has increased in Mexico in recent years. In 2017, INEGI reported that 20.2% of the population over 18 years of age had experienced a situation of this kind in the 12 months prior to the survey. In 2022, the same study revealed that 23.7% of people said they had experienced this type of violence, representing a 3.5% increase.
Racism, defined as discrimination based on race or associated characteristics such as hair texture, skin color, or facial features, is on the rise. At the national level, discrimination against the indigenous population increased by 2.7% points between 2017 and 2022. Discrimination directed at these groups was reported by 28% of the “population aged 12 and over” in the latest edition of the survey. Of this percentage, 29% stated that the reason for social rejection was their “indigenous or Afro-descendant” identity. The 2017 ENADIS did not use this category, so any increase or decrease cannot be identified.
Nationally, people who identify as Afro-descendant or Afro-Mexican also reported being victims of discrimination. 35.6% of respondents reported experiencing this type of situation in 2022. The three most frequent reasons for discrimination were weight or height (32.9%), clothing style (30.2%), and political opinions (28.8%).
In Mexico City, cases of discrimination are higher. According to ENADIS, in 2022, victims of this type of violence accounted for 29.6%, compared to 23.7% in 2017. The capital is the fourth state with the highest number of reported cases. Only Yucatán (32.1%), Puebla (30.6%), and Querétaro (30.5%) exceed the figures for the center of the country.
The Sonora Grill Case
Thanks to social media, cases of racism in Mexico City have gained prominence. In August 2022, a controversy arose on social media regarding the Sonora Grill in the Polanco neighborhood. Employees and patrons of the restaurant alleged that the assignment of tables depended on the skin color and appearance of the customers. Later, in March 2023, the head of COPRED and the then head of the Mexico City government, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed that Sonora Grill had committed “practices of segregation and discrimination.” As a result, the city government filed a criminal complaint against the restaurant group.
Mexico City has a great diversity. According to INEGI, in 2020, there were more than 125,000 inhabitants over the age of 3 who spoke at least one indigenous language in the metropolis. Regarding people who identified as Afro-Mexican or Afro-descendant, in the same year, more than 180,000 lived in the capital.