#TakeOnRacism and make a difference in our country

Anti-Racism Week will be held from March 14 to 21.

It culminates on Human Rights Day (March 21), which is also marked globally as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Anti-Racism Week is hosted by the Anti-Racism Network South Africa (ARNSA).

ARNSA was launched in November 2015 and constitutes some 60 organisations from various regions, and is spearheaded by the Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada Foundations.

The week is an annual campaign, organised by the network in a bid to tackle racism and create awareness nationally.

Last year, ARNSA pioneered the initiative, drawing in support from schools, religious institutions, sports organisations, government departments, businesses, civil society organisations, media houses and individuals across the country.

This year, it hopes to increase the impact of the campaign, which calls on all South Africans to #TakeOnRacism.

The basic idea is to encourage people to:

• Learn about racism.
• Talk about racism.
• Speak out against racism.
• Act against racism.

Practical methods to tackle racism during Anti-Racism Week:

Tackling racism can be encouraged through a number of practical means depending on the nature of the institutions who want to get involved in the campaign:

• Sports organisations: Dedicate sports games to anti-racism during the week. Consider hosting diversity training courses for members of your sport club. Host tournaments dedicated to anti-racism. Let affiliated members/teams that are part of your organisations publicly support Anti-Racism Week by for example, wearing a particular colour armband during all their training sessions for the week. Get sports team members to have round table or informal discussions about issues of race.
• Schools: Schools can host assemblies against racism. Pupils can be encouraged to present speeches/plays against racism, dress in South African flag colours, learn about racism in the life orientation classes, host pickets against racism outside their schools, etc. Consider art/essay competitions against racism. School newsletters, Whatsapp messages to parents, etc. can all communicate anti-racism messaging.
• Religious institutions: Sermons can be dedicated to educating congregants about the importance of being anti-racist. Inter-faith dialogues can be hosted. Issues such as Islamophobia and anti-Semitism can be discussed. Religious leaders can attend the various activities underway in communities lending their support to the campaign. Consider hosting diversity training courses within religious institutions.
• Individuals can pledge their support to the #TakeOnRacism campaign, by using social media to advocate anti-racism and create awareness. Post a picture of yourself holding up a page with the #TakeOnRacism. Alternatively, take a picture of your thumbprint on canvas/a page with the words #TakeOnRacism, as well as your selected ‘be word’. Call out racism whenever one is faced with it both in reality and on social media.
• Communities/organisations: Host community dialogues, movie screenings, street dialogues or games, all aimed at promoting anti-racism. Host panel discussions about racial issues.
• Posters/art: Put up posters against racism at your workplace, school or organisation. Art competitions or public art/graffiti against racism could also be considered.
• Movie screenings: Host a movie/documentary screening that tackles issues of race or xenophobia for a group of people followed by a reflective discussion.
• Workplace discussion forums: Host a workshop/discussion during your lunch break at work addressing issues of race or institutionalised racism. Businesses can also encourage employees to wear a particular colour/SA flag colours on a certain day or adopt an anti-racism badge that can be worn to work. Consider hosting diversity training courses.
• University students: Organise protests, sit-ins, discussions, poster/leaflet blitzes, anti-racism T-shirt painting or pickets at your university. Get your SRC and various other student formations involved.
• Media: Consider partnering with ARNSA for the week. Change your newspaper banner for the week in support of anti-racism/promote Anti-Racism Week through a radio jingle or adverts. Get opinion makers to write about issues of race during the week. Publish the details of events taking place in your area aimed at tackling race and cover these. Host newsroom dialogues about race and media. Consider diversity training in the newsroom. Reflect on how to report on racism more effectively and encourage listeners/readers/viewers to adopt anti-racist attitudes.
• Song, poetry and dance: Consider hosting a poetry contest, a concert or dance competition against racism.

You are encouraged to be as creative as possible in planning activities for the week. Should you host an activity/engage in social media activity ensure that you correspond with the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

The foundation would like to know what you are doing and will consider putting this on the ARNSA programme for the week that will be sent out to the foundation’s databases, so that people/media in your area can attend your programme.

Email the details to seanakf@gmail.com, including contact details that can be made available should members of the public require information.

Also, send the foundation photos from your programme or of yourself promoting Anti-Racism Week.

These can be tweeted to @AntiRacismNet or emailed to info@kathradafoundation.org.