In this issue of The Weekly Reveal:

• Doctors Without Borders is struggling to address institutional racism after more than 1,000 former and current staffers demand change. 

• An expanded Spanish-language version of our After Ayotzinapa podcast series premieres March 22.

• A call for support of independent journalists in Ukraine and Russia.

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A Racial Reckoning at Doctors Without Borders

For decades, Doctors Without Borders has been admired for bringing desperately needed medical care to crises around the globe and pioneering modern-day humanitarian aid. But now, it’s struggling to address institutional racism.

In the summer of 2020, more than 1,000 current and former staffers wrote a letter calling out institutional racism at the organization, saying it operates a two-tiered system that favors foreign, or expat, doctors over local health workers.

• The organization has about 63,000 people working in 88 countries.

• While foreign doctors parachuting into crisis zones get most of the attention, 90% of the work is being done by local health workers.

“We were like tokens,” said Dr. Indira Govender, deputy medical coordinator for a Doctors Without Borders mission in South Africa. “We were just like the Black faces at the front of the shop, but we were not actually the owners of the shop.”

This week on Reveal, we investigate how deep these issues run. 🎧 Listen online or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an update of an episode that originally aired in September 2021.

Coming Soon: Spanish-Language Version of After Ayotzinapa

Adonde Media, an international, multilingual podcast production company, will premiere the six-part podcast series Después de Ayotzinapa on Tuesday. The series is an expanded Spanish-language version of the After Ayotzinapa series, our investigation into the 2014 kidnapping of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in Mexico. 

This is Reveal’s first Spanish-language collaboration for a podcast series. Both versions were also a collaboration with the National Security Archive.

Listen to the trailer here. Subscribe to the series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts. 

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Editor’s Note: Support Journalists in Ukraine and Vital Reporting From the Front Lines

Last week on 🎧 Reveal, we heard from people on the front lines in Ukraine, where the Russian invasion has forced millions to flee, and explored how this war is not new, but rather has been at a slow burn for years. If you missed the episode, you can listen here. 

The generosity of Reveal’s donors and members makes shows like this possible. Thank you! Today, we invite you to not just support us, but to share your support for fearless, independent journalism in Ukraine by donating to our colleagues:

• Meduza: Meduza is the last major media outlet to report independently on matters in Russia. Since the invasion, the editorial staff has been forced to leave the country and the Meduza website has been blocked, yet millions of Russians continue to rely on its coverage. Donate today.

• Free Press Unlimited: This coalition protects journalists and keeps reliable information available in and around Ukraine. Donate today.

Thank you again for playing an invaluable role in this fight.

— Sumi Aggarwal, Editor in Chief