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International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Resources

by Australian Human Rights Commission | Educational Resource
The Australian Human Rights Commission has developed fact sheets and a lesson plan about the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) to demonstrate how the idea of 'harmony' hides structural and systemic racism.

The fact sheets and lesson plan are designed to support individual and organisational conversations about the importance of keeping the focus of IDERD on ending all forms of racial discrimination and injustice.

The schools’ fact sheet and lesson plan have been written for students in Years 9 and 10. This content has been aligned to outcomes in the Australian Curriculum.

The general and translated factsheets have been written for an older audience and are suitable for workplaces, community centres and other institutions.

The fact sheets describe how ‘Harmony Week’ is an example of the way language can be used to sweep the harms of racism under the rug. This doesn’t help people experiencing racism. Instead, it reinforces inequality and maintains the status quo.

In contrast, having open discussions about racism demonstrates a commitment to tackling racism when it occurs and preventing it in the future. Discussing racism honestly and openly helps develop more advanced racial awareness and provides the space to plan and act for change.

The IDERD fact sheet has also been translated into a range of different languages.

Downloads

Fact sheet – General

How 'harmony' hides structural and systemic racism in PDF

(159.14 KB) 

How 'harmony' hides structural and systemic racism in Word

 (152.02 KB)

 

Fact sheet – For schools

How ‘harmony’ hides systemic racism in PDF

(166.36 KB) 

How ‘harmony’ hides systemic racism in Word

 (152.58 KB)

 

Lesson Plan – For Years 9 and 10

Lesson Plan for IDERD: Years 9 - 10 in PDF

(177.25 KB) 

Lesson Plan for IDERD: Years 9 - 10 in Word

 (155.38 KB)

 

Translations

While information on the Australian Human Rights Commission's website is mainly presented in English, the IDERD Fact sheet resource has been translated into a range of different languages:

Arabic

Burmese

Dari

Simplified Chinese

 

Traditional Chinese

Vietnamese