WHAT IS RACISM ?

THERE ARE NO REASONS OR EXCUSES FOR RACISM. IT'S JUST WRONG.

RACISM IS UGLY. IT DIVIDES PEOPLE INTO "US" AND "THEM", BASED ON WHERE WE
COME FROM OR THE COLOUR OF OUR SKIN. AND IT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE FEEL THAT
IT'S OKAY TO TREAT OTHERS BADLY AS THEY GO ABOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES.

RACISM IS NEVER OKAY. BUT IT STILL HAPPENS EVERY DAY.

RACISM HAPPENS IN LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS. YOU HEAR IT WHEN PEOPLE:

MAKE "JOKES" OR NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT A PARTICULAR ETHNIC GROUP

CALL OTHERS RACIST NAMES OR VERBALLY ABUSE THEM
BULLY, HASSLE OR INTIMIDATE OTHERS BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.

YOU SEE IT WHEN PEOPLE:

WRITE RACIST GRAFFITI IN PUBLIC PLACES

MAKE OFFENSIVE COMMENTS ONLINE
ARE EXCLUDED FROM GROUPS BECAUSE THEY'RE "DIFFERENT" OR "DON'T
BELONG"
ARE PHYSICALLY ABUSED BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.
WHY RACISM IS A PROBLEM?

RACISM HAD HUGE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS ON YOUNG PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE IT,

INCLUDING:

-ONGOING FEELINGS OF SADNESS, ANGER, DEPRESSION AND BEING LEFT OUT

-HEADACHES, INCREASED HEART RATE, SWEATING, TREMBLING AND MUSCLE TENSION

-A CONSTANT FEAR OF BEING VERBALLY OR PHYSICALLY ATTACKED

-NOT WANTING TO GO TO SCHOOL

-HAVING LITTLE OR NO TRUST IN ANYBODY APART FROM FAMILY. 1

-THESE IMPACTS CAN REDUCE PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO WORK OR STUDY, AND TO

ACHIEVE THEIR FUTURE GOALS.

RACISM ALSO AFFECTS PEOPLE'S GENERAL WELLBEING WHEN THEY ARE DENIED EQUAL
ACCESS TO JOBS, SERVICES AND EDUCATION
CAUSES:

INSTINCTIVE REACTION FOR SPECIES PROTECTION-

- FEELING PROTECTION OF BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS FOR MINORITY GROUPS ARE

"SPECIAL RIGHTS."
- HISTORIC PATTERNS OF PREJUDICE, DISCRIMINATION, AND RACISM.
COLONIALISM, HISTORIC HOSTILITIES, AND THE SLAVE TRADE CONTRIBUTE TO
MODERN RACISM.

FEAR OF LOSS AND DISPLACEMENT (FEAR)-

- XENOPHOBIA, THE FEAR OF OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT. AN ELEMENT OF

XENOPHOBIA IS PRESENT IN RACISM. DEEP FEAR CAN EXPRESS ITSELF IN
RACIALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE.
- FEAR OF SHARING POWER WITH OTHER GROUPS OF PEOPLE

IGNORANCE (THE CONDITION OF BEING UNEDUCATED, UNAWARE OR

UNIFORMED

- ALLOWS ONE GROUP TO SOCIALLY, POLITICALLY, AND ECONOMICALLY

DOMINATE OTHER GROUPS. RACISM SERVES TO "RATIONALIZE THE
HIERARCHICAL DOMINATION OF ONE RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUP OVER OTHER
GROUP(S), AND MAINTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, AND MATERIAL
ADVANTAGES FOR THE DOMINANT GROUP."
- RACISM IS USED BY GOVERNMENTS TO EXCUSE SYSTEMIC AND SYSTEMATIC
OPPRESSION AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.
- IGNORANCE OF OTHER CULTURES, RELIGIONS, AND VALUES.
- LACK OF SELF LOVE, FEELING OF UNWORTHINESS AND DESIRE TO FEEL
SUPERIOR- A NEED TO FEEL OK, TO FEEL WORTHWHILE. THIS CAN RESULT IN
PEOPLE WANTING TO FEEL SUPERIOR TO OTHERS.

- LAWS AND GOVERNMENT POLICIES AIMED AT PREVENTING IMMIGRATION OF

PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT CULTURES AND RELIGIONS.
WHY ARE PEOPLE RACIST?

WE TAKE ON THE VIEWS OF PEOPLE AROUND US

A LOT OF OUR ATTITUDES ARE SHAPED WHEN WE'RE YOUNG. WHEN OUR FAMILY
MEMBERS OR FRIENDS EXPRESS RACIST OPINIONS, IT'S COMMON THAT WE WILL TAKE
ON THOSE VIEWS OURSELVES. THE PROBLEM IS THAT, UNLESS WE DO SOMETHING
ABOUT IT, THEY CAN STAY WITH US FOR A LIFETIME.

WE ONLY HANG AROUND WITH PEOPLE "LIKE US"

IT'S NORMAL TO WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE SAME
INTERESTS, BACKGROUND, CULTURE AND LANGUAGE. IT CREATES A SENSE OF
BELONGING THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. THE DOWNSIDE IS THAT IT CAN ALSO SET
UP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OTHER GROUPS AND, OVER TIME, THIS MIGHT LEAD TO US
TO THINKING THAT OUR GROUP IS BETTER THAN OTHERS.

WE'RE QUICK TO JUDGE

WE OFTEN PUT LABELS ON PEOPLE. WE CAN ALSO STEREOTYPE PEOPLE FROM

DIFFERENT RACIAL BACKGROUNDS AS "LAZY", "BRAINY", "AGGRO" YOU GET THE
IDEA.

WE BLAME OTHERS FOR OUR PROBLEMS

WHEN WE FEEL ANGRY OR FRUSTRATED, WE OFTEN LOOK FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO

BLAME FOR OUR PROBLEMS. AS A COMMUNITY, WE CAN DO THE SAME THING. PEOPLE
WHO LOOK OR TALK DIFFERENTLY TO US ARE AN EASY TARGET. YOU CAN HEAR IT
HAPPENING TODAY IN COMMENTS LIKE, "THOSE PEOPLE TAKE OUR JOBS" OR "THEY
GET GOVERNMENT HANDOUTS ALL THE TIME". NEARLY ALL THE TIME, THESE
STATEMENTS ARE WRONG
EFFECTS OF RACISM:

RACISM HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT BOTH ON THE INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCE IT

AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT LINKS
BETWEEN EXPERIENCES OF RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION AND POOR PHYSICAL AND
MENTAL HEALTH, REDUCED PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY.-

- FURTHER, IT IS WELL-RECOGNISED THAT RACISM PRESENTS BARRIERS TO SOCIAL

AND ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION WHICH CAN IN TURN CAUSE SOCIAL EXCLUSION

-IT REDUCES US ALL. WE ARE ALL MADE LESS.

-RACISM DEPRIVES THE COMMUNITY OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULLY CELEBRATE AND

EMBRACE CULTURAL DIVERSITY AS AN ASSET TO THIS NATION.

-RACISM CAN MAKE PEOPLE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE OR UNSAFE AND THAT THEY ARE
NOT WELCOMED OR ACCEPTED. IT ALSO PORTRAYS IN A NEGATIVE WAY TO THE REST
OF THE WORLD.

-MANY IN OUR NATIVE POPULATION LIVE AS THOUGH THEY'RE IN A THIRD WORLD

COUNTRY. THE RACISM GAP IS WIDEST FOR THEM. COULD BE SO RICH IN SHARED
CULTURE, SO WE ALL MISS OUT.
MOST INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT RACISM:

MARTIN LUTHER KING MADE HISTORY

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAS AN AMERICAN PASTOR AND ACTIVIST WHO PLAYED AN
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. HE PROMOTED THE
USE OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND WAS A KEY FIGURE IN THE STRUGGLE
FOR RACE EQUALITY

THE NAZI STATE PRACTICED ETHNIC SUPREMACISM

ADOLF HITLERS NAZI PARTY WERE ONE OF THE CLEAREST EXPOUNDERS OF

XENOPHOBIC AND SUPREMACIST VIEWS AND ACTIONS DURING THE 20TH CENTURY.
THE EXTENT OF THEIR PERSECUTION GOES FAR BEYOND THE NORMAL SCOPE OF
RACISM FACTS.THE RACIAL THEORIES WHICH INFLUENCED HITLER OFFERED A
SUPREMACIST VIEW IN WHICH THE ARYAN PEOPLE WERE BETTER THAN OTHERS; IN
OTHER WORDS, A MASTER RACE.

RACISM UNDERPINNED THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

THE SLAVERY

THERE ARE INNUMERABLE TRAGIC RACISM FACTS FROM HISTORY, BUT ONE OF THE
MOST FAR-REACHING SERIES OF EVENTS WAS THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE.
THIS OCCURRED FROM THE 16TH THROUGH TO THE 19TH CENTURY. THE MAJORITY OF
THOSE ENSLAVED WERE WEST AFRICANS, WHO WERE SOLD TO EUROPEAN SLAVE
TRADERS AND TRANSPORTED TO THE NEW WORLD.
WHERE DOES RACIMS HAPPENS?

A SURVEY OF YOUNG PEOPLE FOUND THAT 89% HAD EITHER EXPERIENCED OR

WITNESSED RACISM. RACISM MOST COMMONLY HAPPENED AT SCHOOL (43%) OR
ONLINE (33%).

AT SCHOOL

RACISM LOOKS LIKE: BEING BULLIED FOR HOW YOU LOOK, WHAT YOU EAT OR WHAT
YOU WEAR, BEING MADE TO FEEL DIFFERENT FROM OTHER STUDENTS OR WHEN
TEACHERS DON'T STAND UP TO RACISM WHEN IT HAPPENS.

AT HOME

RACISM LOOKS LIKE: FAMILY MEMBERS CRITICISING OR MAKING JOKES ABOUT PEOPLE
FROM DIFFERENT RACIAL BACKGROUNDS.

ONLINE

RACISM LOOKS LIKE: RECEIVING HARASSING MESSAGES ON FACEBOOK, BEING ON AN

EMAIL CHAIN FOR OFFENSIVE "JOKES" OR RACIST YOUTUBE VIDEOS OR COMMENTS.

IN PUBLIC

RACISM LOOKS LIKE: BEING ABUSED, BEING CALLED NAMES, BEING SPAT AT, HAVING
THINGS THROWN AT YOU OR WHEN PEOPLE ACT AGGRESSIVELY TO YOU.

PLAYING SPORT

RACISM LOOKS LIKE: BEING ABUSED BY OPPONENTS OR SPECTATORS OR BEING LEFT

OUT OF THE GROUP BY THE COACH OR OTHER PLAYERS IN THE TEAM.
WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO THINK OR BELIEVE WHAT THEY WANT.

BUT TREATING PEOPLE UNFAIRLY BECAUSE OF WHERE THEY COME FROM OR THE
COLOUR OF THEIR SKIN IS NEVER OKAY.

A LOT OF THE TIME, IT'S AGAINST THE LAW

THE LAW PROTECTS EVERYONE IN FROM UNFAIR TREATMENT ON THE BASIS OF THEIR
RACE, INCLUDING: COLOUR, DESCENT, NATIONAL OR ETHNIC ORIGIN AND IMMIGRANT
STATUS. IT COVERS DIFFERENT AREAS OF EVERYDAY LIFE, INCLUDING:

EDUCATION
GOING TO PUBLIC PLACES
BUYING GOODS OR USING SERVICES
EMPLOYMENT
RENTING OR BUYING A PLACE TO LIVE.

THIS HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING IN PUBLIC THAT OFFENDS,

INSULTS, HUMILIATES OR INTIMIDATES PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THEIR RACIAL
BACKGROUND. IT COULD INCLUDE YELLING COMMENTS, MAKING SPEECHES, PUTTING
UP SIGNS OR HANDING OUT FLYERS, AS WELL AS MATERIAL PUBLISHED ONLINE.

THERE ARE ALSO LAWS TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.

LAW IN COLOMBIA

THE LAW PENALIZES RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION WAS APPROVED IN COLOMBIA

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APPROVED THE BILL THAT PENALIZES ANY ACT OF
DISCRIMINATION IN COLOMBIA. PENAL SANCTIONS ARE BETWEEN 1 AND 3 YEARS IN
PRISON AND EXTEND UP TO FOUR AND A HALF YEARS WHEN THERE ARE AGGRAVATING
CIRCUMSTANCES, SUCH AS IF THE OFFENSE WAS COMMITTED BY A PUBLIC OFFICIAL
OR AGAINST A MINOR.
SOLUCIONS

HAVE HARD CONVERSATIONS WITH YOURSELF ABOUT THE

RACISM THAT LIVES WITHIN YOU.
LISTEN TO, VALIDATE, AND ALLY WITH PEOPLE WHO REPORT
PERSONAL AND SYSTEMIC RACISM.
BE MINDFUL OF THE COMMONALITIES THAT HUMANS SHARE,
AND PRACTICE EMPATHY.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
CROSS THE RACIAL DIVIDE (AND OTHERS) BY OFFERING
FRIENDLY GREETINGS TO PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF RACE,
GENDER, AGE, SEXUALITY, ABILITY, CLASS, OR HOUSING
STATUS
LEARN ABOUT THE RACISM THAT OCCURS WHERE YOU LIVE,
AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BY PARTICIPATING IN AND
SUPPORTING ANTI-RACIST COMMUNITY EVENTS, PROTESTS,
RALLIES, AND PROGRAMS.
VOTE FOR CANDIDATES WHO MAKE ENDING RACISM A
PRIORITY; VOTE FOR CANDIDATES OF COLOR.
ADVOCATE FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PRACTICES IN
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT.
QUESTIONS

1- Why do people continue to be racist after so many articles, videos and talks about how
racism is dumb?

It's a question that people ask all the time. If we're all part of the human race, why are people
racist? After all, there are no biological differences between people. No race is superior or
inferior to another. We're all the same.

There are many reasons why people can have racist attitudes.

We take on the views of people around us

We only hang around with people "like us"

Were quick to judge

We blame others for our problems

2- If racism happens to you, what can you do?

"What you just said is really offensive and rude."

"Please, have some respect for yourself and for others."

Say nothing. Sometimes people just want to provoke you and get a reaction. Walking away may
defuse the situation.

Talk to someone. Get advice and support from friends, teachers or parents.

3- If you see racism happening at school, in public or online, stand up to it. "What you can
do?.

Say something if it feels okay to do so. It doesn't have to be aggressive or abusive. In

fact, it's often more effective if it's not. Here are some ideas suggested by young people.
 "What you just said is really offensive and rude."

"Please, have some respect for yourself and for others."

Say nothing. Sometimes people just want to provoke you and get a reaction. Walking
away may defuse the situation.

Report it. Call the police on 000 if you feel threatened or unsafe at any time.

Online: Most social media sites have policies for dealing with offensive material. For
example Facebook allows you to report content that breaches its terms of use. You can
get more information about cybersafety here.

At school: Talk to a teacher, counsellor or student welfare officer.

On public transport: Let the bus driver or station guard know what's going on.

"Unlike" it. Check out www.antihate.vic.gov.au for messages you can post in response to
'haters' online.

Talk to someone. Get advice and support from friends, teachers or parents.