21 March is the International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – a time to reflect on racism, it’s impacts and what we can each do to prevent and respond to it. One way to do this is engaging with ideas, stories and conversations that help us understand racism better.
Here’s a selection of what the team have been reading, watching and listening to lately that explores themes of racism, identity, belonging and cohesion.
Patrick
I recently read the book The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz, a semi-autobiography that explores identity in the most extreme of circumstances. Dennis Avey, a WW II veteran, tells his story as a British soldier and prisoner of war, at the WWII. and shares how he entered Auschwitz and witnessed the treatment of Jewish prisoners firsthand. The book shows how people were systematically dehumanised, reduced to labels, and stripped of their individuality and humanity.
As a German, the part that that stayed with me most was the way the book also reflects on how identity can be shaped from the other side: how soldiers and ordinary people were influenced by ideology, propaganda and war to accept, justify or participate in horrific cruelty. It feels scary how relevant those messages are in the current climate.
Jane
Kim Scott (That Deadman Dance, Benang) is a Western Australian Noongar author and academic whose work has long been meaningful to me. I was first introduced to his writing during an Indigenous Literature course at university, later spending a summer research semester exploring his work in depth. His novels have lingered with me well beyond the final page, shaping how I understand the histories and ongoing impacts of colonisation.
I also highly recommend the writing of Melissa Lucashenko (Too Much Lip, Mullumbimby) and Alexis Wright (Carpentaria). Incidentally, Carpentaria won the Vision Australia 2010 Braille Book of the Year award; the 499 pages of print spawning several kilograms of volumes in braille.
Ollie
From the echoes of Stephen Quartermain’s iconic 2005 call of “Leo Barry, you star!”, that ended a 72-year premiership drought, to the heartbreak of four straight Grand Final losses, my love for the Sydney Swans has not wavered. That same passion led me to a documentary about one of the club’s all-time greats, Adam Goodes - a proud Adnyamathanha/Narungga man, premiership captain, four-time All-Australian, dual Brownlow medallist and Australian of the Year.
The Australian Dream is a 2019 documentary that explores the racism Adam experienced during the final years of his career. Using old footage, interviews with AFL icons, and historical context, the documentary explores how Goodes’ public stance on Indigenous identity and racism sparked a nationwide backlash.
It also puts Australia’s history of racism toward First Nations peoples under the microscope and shows how powerful sport is in reflecting broader social attitudes. The documentary was a catalyst for widespread discussion about racism, national identity, and reconciliation in Australia.
Similarly, Tony Armstrong’s television series The End Game continues this conversation by examining racism and discrimination in Australian sport. In the episode featuring Adam Goodes, Armstrong reflects on the impact of Goodes’ stand against racism and the way the public response revealed deeper issues in Australia. The episode revisits the treatment Goodes received and highlights how his experience has helped shape ongoing conversations about racism, respect, and inclusion in sport.
Sandra
With ‘social cohesion’ increasingly being considered a loaded term, I was interested to tune into SBS’s The Social Schism, a forum-style program where presenter Janice Peterson speaks with selected experts and community leaders about social cohesion. The discussion covers issues such as racism, the role social media plays in polarisation, and Australia’s declining social cohesion - particularly in relation to feelings of belonging, trust in institutions, and support for immigration.
While it’s a broad topic to tackle in 50 minutes, the program offered some interesting, high level insights and prompted a bit of deeper reflection and further reading.
Alix
Nerd culture and social inclusion, two of my greatest passions, together in a charming, thoughtful and relatable podcast? What a treasure! Three Black Halflings may focus on diversity in D&D and pop culture, but it speaks to so much more along the way (literally and figuratively). I’m still working my way through the back catalogue, since it’s been going strong since 2020, and already the hosts and long list of excellent guests have entertained, informed and inspired me as they explore the core idea that art and play should be a space where everyone is welcome, can feel safe, and gets to bring their whole self to.
The conversations combine personal insights and experience with topical research and commentary, in a way that feels warm and approachable. I’ve loved all their content (which also includes some top notch, diversity-affirming D&D actual play), but if you’re after something a bit less ‘niche’, I’ll happily point you in the direction of episodes like “Black Joy is a Form of Protest” – A Year of Change and “Shea Butter by Lolth” – Representation in Pop Culture
Casey
As part of my low-key Yumi Stynes obsession, I’ve been catching up on the back catalogue of a podcast she hosts called Seen. In each episode, she talks to someone from an under-represented background, some high profile while others are undiscovered gems. They share their real highs and lows from culture, food, religion, disability, academia, work, sport, music, activism and everything in between. By spotlighting these guests, Yumi makes them seen by people who don’t always get to see reflections of themselves and by people who have a lot to learn from them.
If podcasts aren’t your thing, grab a copy of Australian multicultural-humourist-memoir-classic The Family Law by Benjamin Law, and when you’re done with that, press play on the film Sinners – come for the fresh take on the vampire genre, stay for the themes of black excellence and intergenerational healing.
Jamie
I really enjoy the ABC’s You Can’t Ask That, a series where people with lived experience respond to anonymous questions submitted by the public. Several episodes focus directly on racism, featuring First Nations, refugee, Muslim and African-Australian participants who confront stereotypes and respond to misconceptions about their communities.
The questions can be confronting—sometimes prejudiced or deeply uncomfortable—but the format gives participants the space to challenge misinformation in their own words. The result is a powerful glimpse into their lived experiences, encouraging viewers to reflect on assumptions and approach these conversations with greater empathy and understanding.
.jpg)
.jpeg)
