A leading Curtin cultural theorist has joined the call for the recognition of institutional racism in everyday life.
Curtin Department of Communication and Cultural Studies academic, Dr Suvendrini Perera, is one of the organisers of a public forum Institutional Racism Kills to be held from 6.00pm at the Perth Town Hall on 16 September.
“The Forum will focus on deaths in custody like the deaths of John Pat in 1983 and Aboriginal elder Mr Ward from heatstroke in a prison van in 2008,” Dr Perera said.
“Institutional racism needs to be acknowledged, identified and looked at in its connections with other forms of racism.
“This needs to be an extended public process of understanding and change in which the society as a whole engages.
“We are calling on people to be part of this change.”
The Forum is sponsored by Curtin, the Deaths in Custody Watch Committee of WA, and Amnesty International. It will be addressed by the 2007 West Australian of the Year, Mark Bin Bakar, and the recipient of the 2008 Human Rights Commission Medal for advancing Indigenous rights, Les Malezer. Dr Perera is working with staff from Curtin’s Centre for Human Rights Education and Centre for Aboriginal Studies.
Contact: Dr Suvendrini Perera, 9266 2706, S.Perera@curtin.edu.au, 0409 747 200
