I was in Adelaide this morning for a ‘Beyond Harmony’ event, organised by the Morella Community Centre. Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination- which seemed an apt day to discuss why we need to move beyond tick boxes and challenge structural as well as pervasive discrimination that inhibits cultural diversity from achieving its potential in the workplace.
This was also my first public gig since the Christchurch massacre last Friday. While I summoned considerable strength to get me through this, I found the company of Manal Younis as emcee, an instrumental tool. Her raw, personable and brilliant articulation of cultural sovereignty was epic to behold.
I went on to begin my presentation quoting a friend who messaged me earlier this week saying, ‘Your fight is ours, but the courage you have to summon every day is so much more than I have to as a white bloke. All the best comrade/friend’. In acknowledging this struggle at this time, I continued that an interrogation of the slow boil of hateful rhetoric in this country needed to occur, since its violent end-point affected everyone of us.
Thank you to Morella for this invitation, your generosity of spirit and warm welcome. Adelaide holds a special place in my heart.
#staystrongchristchurch #tasneemchopra #crossculturalconsultant #diversitymatters #representationmatters #endracism #endislamophobia
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