Confronting Racism in
Communities Project
Implications for Action on
Anti-Racism
David Hollinsworth
Overview of the Final Report
findings and Implications

About the Confronting Racism in Communities Project
 Project Methodology
 Project Findings: Racist Incidents
 Discussion and analysis
 How to Identify Racism from Incidents
 Gaps in Strategies
 What works (and what doesn’t)
 How to respond to exclusion in our organizations
 How to support and assist workers in countering racism
 Racialization and the role of politics and the media
 Conclusion and future directions
What is the Confronting Racism
in Communities Project?
The project aims to address the variety of
racisms experienced by culturally and
linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
in Queensland.
What is the Confronting Racism
in Communities Project?
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Project consortium lead by Centre for
Multicultural Pastoral Care
Three-year pilot project extended to four
State-wide
Funded by Multicultural Affairs Qld
Reference Committee
Project Objectives
1.
Provide support, training and resources to the
community sector in order to combat racism.
2.
Work with communities to document the nature
and extent of racism in Queensland and provide
regular reporting on incidents across the state.
Why Anti-Racism Training?
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Developed Racism Training Needs Survey
focusing on workers’ experience with racism and
on their training needs.
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Completed by 50 individuals from multicultural,
mainstream and government agencies in
metropolitan and regional Queensland.
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Produced Racism Training Strengths & Needs
Analysis.
Key Findings of needs survey
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72% of respondents felt issues of racism were “very
relevant” to their work, while 16% of respondents felt
issues of racism were “somewhat relevant” to their work.
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26% of respondents reported they were “not very well
equipped/skilled” to support clients who had experienced
racism, while 8% reported they were “not at all
equipped/skilled”.
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34% of respondents said they had previously
participated in anti-racism training. BUT…..
Key Findings
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8% of respondents said their organisation had funds
allocated for anti-racism training.
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Respondents said they would find the following training
options beneficial:
- Community development responses to racism
- Supporting people who have experienced racism
- Identifying racism
- Racism in the workforce
- Working with the media
Why we need to collect Data
on Racism in Communities?
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To help us better understand & respond to the
needs of people from CALD backgrounds.
 So we can demonstrate that racism is a
significant issue that needs to be addressed in
the face of government denial.
 Because there is currently very little data on
racism in Queensland.
 To highlight the diversity of geography of racism;
different places, forms and targets.
How was Data on Racism
Collected?
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Racist Incident Reporting Form
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70 Data Collection Points throughout Queensland
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Bi-annual reports on the nature and extent of racism in
Queensland
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Reports highlight general trends - they do not disclose
identifying information
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Indigenous reports not asked for as directive from MAQ
Findings: how many and
where?
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398 racist incidents reported between
January 2006 to December 2007
37% occurred in Brisbane region; 15% in
Logan; 13% Gold Coast; 11% Sunshine
Coast; 7% Toowoomba; 5% Cairns; 4%
Townsville; 3.5% Mackay; 2% Wide Bay
and Rockhampton.
Findings: who was targeted?
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India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
16.6% (66)
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong
13.0% (53)
Other Asian
6.8% (27)
Sudan
9.8% (39)
Other African
10.8% (43)
Arabic Speaking
7.8% (31)
Other Middle East, Near East
4.5% (18)
Pacific Islander
6.0% (24)
Latin America
3.8% (15)
European
5.0% (20)
Anglo Australian (Muslim, Buddhist, other)
4.3% (17)
Indigenous**
1.5% (6)
Not Specified
9.8% (39)
Total
100% (398)
Findings: types of incident
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Physical violence
17%
Threat of physical violence
6%
Property damage
4.5%
Verbal harassment
49%
Non-verbal harassment
10%
Written harassment
3%
Racist graffiti
5.5%
Offensive media content
3.5%
Social exclusion
9%
Discrimination
39%
Institutional racism
20%
Findings: location of incident
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On the street
16%
At work
14%
At school or university
9%
At home
4%
Renting or applying to rent
12%
In private vehicle
2%
Public transport
11%
Shop or supermarket
11%
Social venue
4%
Place of leisure
2%
Letter or phone call
3%
Media
3%
Government departments
5%
Other
4%
Responses to racist incidents
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Anger
 Upset
 Scared
 Anticipation
 Anxious or distressed
 Feeling of exclusion, not belonging
 Personal growth, resilience
 Sadness
 Disturbed or depressed
 Isolated
 Lack of confidence, helpless, victim
 Physical reaction
 Shame
Reporting of racist incidents
 Reported
to authorities 19%
 Not
reported 70%
 Not
specified 11%
Satisfaction with results of
reporting
 Very
satisfied
 Satisfied
 Neutral
 Unsatisfied
 Very unsatisfied
 Not specified
4%
16%
8%
45%
21%
6%
What is racism and how
does it impact on us,
our families and friends,
and our work?
Since racist incidents affect a group as well as
an individual, they are experienced as attacks
on the values, loyalties and commitments central
to a person’s identity and self-worth – their
family honour, friends, cultural heritage, religion,
community and history. Racist, cultural and
religious abuse is accordingly more hurtful than
any or most of other kinds of abuse.
Bristol City Council (2004) Reporting and Dealing with Harassment in Bristol Schools,
available from: http://www.bristol-cyps.org.uk/services/pdf/racial_abuse.pdf
The street as a site for racism
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The physical site of racism is often the street.
In the 2006 national study on refugee settlement by USC and VU,
approximately 25% of newly arrived refugees reported daily,
weekly or monthly experiences of racism – significant proportion
on the street.
16% of racist incidents reported to the Confronting Racism in
Communities Project occurred on the street.
In a study by Poynting et al, 58% identified racism, abuse or
violence that took place on the street.
Women were more likely to experience racism on the street
(62%) than men (50)%.
Spaces of fear and incivility.
Poynting S. & Noble G. (2004)Living with Racism: The experience and reporting by Arab and
Muslim Australians of discrimination, abuse and violence since 11 September 2001, HREOC,
Sydney
Examples: Types of Incidents in the
Street
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Gazing/Staring – ‘oppression of the eyes’
Verbal abuse
Physical abuse or violence
Threats of violence
Harassment
Hand gestures
(eg.sexual, mimicking guns)
Analysis: Personal Consequences
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Fear of public spaces
 Withdrawal – lack of access to essential services and
resources
 Reluctance to engage
 Sense of isolation and not belonging
 Sense of helplessness
 Physical and mental health consequences, can be
cumulative and chronic
 Settlement consequences for newly arrived migrants and
refugees
 For refugees, can compound trauma
Analysis: Social Consequences
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Control of national/public spaces
Fear – inward looking, society lacking in
compassion
Diminishing social capital
(trust, reciprocity, networking)
Lack of belonging
Loss of human potential
Lack of representation of minorities in public
arena
Gaps in Strategies
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Legislative changes: systemic racism; indirect
discrimination; punitive rather than conciliatory
approach from AHRC and ADCQ.
Inclusion of religious discrimination under
federal RDA
Positive Duty as in UK to eliminate unlawful
racial discrimination; whole institutional
approach with sanctions for managers
Explicit anti-racism campaigns not just
celebrating diversity and ‘harmony’ projects
Effective media campaigns to rebut myths and
promote human rights
What Works (and what doesn’t)
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Leadership: government, opinion leaders, media
and activists
Avoidance of culturalism and essentialism (even
when applied to reverse racist beliefs)
Highlighting shared commonalities (not
sameness but intersecting parallels) rather than
stark or inherent differences
Building community capacity for resilience and
self-advocacy including skills with media
Identifying (covert) racism within institutions and
dominant ideologies, not just isolated incidents
What Works
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Strategies for inclusion and accountability, not
just getting a CALD person on the board
Community activities that are safe, shared, equal
status and control between groups, common
goal with official support and credibility
Avoid ‘preachy’ or guilt inducing approaches that
cause denial and resistance
Document and publicize successful activities
Evaluate and conduct research to identify
unintended exclusions and appropriate countermeasures
How to Respond to
Exclusion in our
Organisations
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Identification of Institutional Racism
 Strategies for Inclusion
Forms of Racism
Different levels or forms of racism:
individual or personal racism (insults, harassment and
discrimination directed at individuals)
institutional or systemic racism (conventional
practices or structures and processes of institutions that
have the effect of excluding or discriminating against
individuals or groups)
cultural racism ( beliefs, stories and assumptions that
naturalize social inequality as caused by inherent
characteristics of the disadvantaged eg. dysfunctional
families or poor choices, and/or universalize dominant
values or hide privileges)
Intended or unintended racism
Racism can be present in hostile acts, as
well as in apparently neutral or mundane
arrangements.
 It can be the result of activities or
arrangements that set out to discriminate
or harm, or it can result from ignorance or
inadvertence or lack of awareness.
 Thus, racism can be intentional or
unintentional; it may however be detected
by its effects (need data).
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Defining Institutional Racism
The collective failure of an organization to
provide an appropriate and professional service
to people because of their colour, culture or
ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in
processes, attitudes and behaviour which
amount to discrimination through unwitting
prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist
stereotyping which disadvantage Black and
minority ethnic people.
Macpherson W (1999) The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Sir
William Macpherson of Cluny (Cm 4262), London, The Stationary Office.
Interplay between institutional
and cultural racisms
Institutions
validate
rules,
roles
and
certain
understandings about entitlements which are often seen
as fair or universal, but which actually reflect and protect
dominant social interests – through, for example,
understandings about who is a good parent, a reliable
tenant or borrower, or the best for the job. But these
rules are not applied mechanistically or deterministically.
They are activated by bureaucrats, social workers,
receptionists and so on, whose own perceptions,
priorities and values are fused with cultural meaning that
speak of their own personal histories and social location.
Within particular constraints and in their own ways, they
‘do their job’.
Pettman, Jan (1992) Living in the Margins: Racism and Feminism in Australia, Allen &
Unwin, St Leonards, New South Wales.
Key Issues
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Institutional racism is not always explicit, as in the 19th or
20th century – often covert.
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May be unintentional – This form of racism reflects the
cultural assumptions of the dominant group, so that the
practices of that group are seen as the norm to which
other cultural practices should conform.
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Resulting from universality of treatment.
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Treating everyone the same does not equate to fairness
and equity – substantive equality requires different
treatment (Charles Husband 2004).
Institutional Power
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The core of the concept of institutional racism is the
irrelevance of the intentions of the actors involved.
 Need to look at institutional power, practices and
responsibilities:
- Where the power lies in institutional structures.
- Points in the institution where people are able to
exercise discretionary power – to make decisions,
set rules and allocate resources.
- Ways in which these rules and norms are legitimated.
- Ways in which they produce discriminatory outcomes.
 Institutional racism begins to enter into practice when
institutional routines reflect the interests of only one
group, usually the majority.
Unpacking Institutions
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Professional identities, roles and their boundaries
 Institutional processes and routines:
 Organisation of work spaces
 Times
 Resources
 Policies
 Procedures
 Level/type of staffing
 Power relationships between staff
 Decision making processes
 Governance arrangements
 Advisory-consultative mechanisms
 Management ideologies: cost saving, efficiency.
Responding to Exclusion
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Changing occupational culture.
Policy and planning.
Employment – recruitment and selection, retention,
training, grievance and disciplinary, appraisal.
Service delivery and customer care.
Consultation, partnerships and multi-agency work.
Communication, information, marketing and corporate
image.
Leadership.
Accountability and transparency.
How can we support
and assist each other
to combat racism in
our communities?
Racialization
 Racialization:
discursive process of
“racing”, of imposing racial meanings to an
individual or group
 Examples include “dysfunctional”
Aboriginal people or “queue-jumping”
asylum seekers or “oppressed” Muslim
women or Islamic “terrorists”
 Essentializes negative stereotypes as
inherent or fixed racial characteristics
Racialization and politics
 Often
used by politicians to pander to
populist fears and hatreds
 But this use entrenches such beliefs and
encourages violent and abusive behaviors
 “Violent racists are always a tiny minority.
However, their breathing space is
determined by the degree of ‘ordinary’
non-violent racism a government and
culture will allow” (Hage, 2003: 247)
Racialization and media
 Media:
key source of racialization, fear,
anxiety, threat and hostility
 Examples especially in crime reporting,
international and non-state conflict such as
terrorism and civil war
 Strategies to combat media racism:
complaints, right of reply, advocacy
stories, media skills training, community
media and arts projects, social networks
and interNet