"Imagining a Future Without Racism, Intolerance, Prejudice or Xenophobia" The Australian community action kit on Racism |
Other events to involve community members
Film nights, seminars, and other cultural events
One important way of raising awareness within the community is to organize various events that can all, in their different ways, bring the issues of racism and racial discrimination to a wider public awareness.
Film nights are a popular and stimulating way to raise awareness. A local community, school or church hall is probably the easiest to arrange, and you should allow time after the film for a discussion of the issues it raises.
Assessing films: there are many sources of relevant films, ranging from the ABC (its recent series “The Australian Story” had one programme devoted to the white Australia policy) and SBS through to the National Library or the Koori Educational Centre at Sydney University.
Seminars: While these may sound a rather dry way of trying to generate interest, they are actually an excellent forum for canvassing issues and ideas, and dispelling misconceptions. Choose a topic (perhaps one of the themes of the World Conference, or perhaps some issue of relevance to your local community) , and organize appropriate speakers.
A range of organisations may be able to provide speakers (in alphabetical order)
- Amnesty International Australia
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
- Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
- State Labor Councils
- Local universities
Then there are cultural events. Within most communities now there is often quite a wide range of cultural and ethnic diversity. Events that bring these groups together and allow for all the community to see aspects of other communities’ life are an excellent educational tool. And they can be both entertaining and enjoyable (think of sampling all those different ethnic foods).
Contact local groups representing the different ethnic and cultural communities within your area, and discuss with them the possibility of holding something like a fair day (A Fair Day as a Fair Way to Combat Racism), with stalls selling traditional foods, and with performances of traditional dances, or mime, or short plays. Or, if this seems too daunting, perhaps simply organize a Cultural Night, with the performances only. Or perhaps a local art gallery might be willing to mount a display of art from persons of different ethnic groups.
Approach your local schools, which are hopefully sensitive to issues of the diverse cultures of their students, and see if they can be involved (providing a school grounds, or a hall). Involving children is useful, since it then brings parents along.
This kit is supported by the following organisations (in alphabetical order) in April 2001: Amnesty International Australia, Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Coalition Against Racism WA, Human Rights Council of Australia Inc., Quaker Service Australia, The Religious Society of Friends in Australia (Quakers),Western Australians for Racial Equality, WA Social Justice Commission - Uniting Church in Australia.