Young people will be involved in the "Can We Talk?" series
Image: Ben Healley
Source: Museum Victoria
Media contact: Amanda Linardon alinardon@museum.vic.gov.au
Melburnians are invited to tackle the contentious topic of race and racism through a new series of lectures and forums developed by the Immigration Museum.
"Owning Racism: Can We Talk? explores issues that are close to the heart of multicultural Melbourne," said Tatiana Mauri, Community Engagement Manager, Museum Victoria.
"Melburnians can participate by attending free events, including hearing international speaker Bonita Bennett, the Director of District Six Museum in Cape Town, and a keen activist for social justice. Bonita will deliver a talk exploring diversity and social cohesion, drawing on her incredible experiences in South Africa," said Mauri.
In Melbourne for the first time, Bonita will share her insights on human rights through the stories of District Six, where 60,000 people, including herself, and her own family, were forcibly removed when the apartheid government declared it a "white" area in 1966.
Can We Talk? also includes a public youth forum, offering young people a chance to discuss their lived experiences of racism and identity in Melbourne. Topics like "faith is not a race" and "colour makes you comfortable" will be discussed by a panel of prominent young thinkers, led by Yasmin Hassen, Youth Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
"Can We Talk? builds on the Immigration Museum's strength in bringing attention to these often challenging and confronting issues," said Mauri. "It sits perfectly alongside the Museum's groundbreaking exhibition Identity: yours, mine, ours and the Talking Difference project, both which give a voice to everyday experiences of race."
Bonita Bennett's lecture is at Melbourne Museum on Tuesday 21 August, 6pm. Bookings are essential: discoverylectures@museum.vic.gov.au
Owning Racism: Can We Talk? Youth Forum is at The Wheeler Centre on Thursday 23 August, 6pm. Bookings are essential: www.trybooking.com/BQXW
Owning Racism: Can We Talk? A symposium for industry professionals is being held at Immigration Museum, Tuesday 23 to Friday 24 August.
Museum Victoria Public Relations contact:
Amanda Linardon, 03 8341 7726, 0400 130 307 or alinardon@museum.vic.gov.au
For all general public enquiries, contact the museum's Discovery Centre