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EOC rolls out racial inclusion campaign to commemorate IDERD
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD) is observed annually on 21 March to promote racial diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) around the globe. It is a good time for us to reflect on what we have progressed in racial DEI and what we should do more in the future.
The EOC spares no effort in tackling racial discrimination and advocating racial equality. This year, the EOC led various initiatives under the theme “All Races As One”, with an aim to raise public awareness of racial issues. Among the initiatives is a citywide advertising campaign across MTR and buses, with ads featuring smiling faces with different ethnicities.
“The message that we would like to convey is one of being culturally sensitive, which means being aware that cultural differences and similarities between people exist but without assigning them a value – positive or negative, better or worse, right or wrong,” EOC Chairperson Ricky CHU Man-kin explained in a newspaper feature article.
In the article, Mr Chu looked into how the barriers to Chinese proficiency put ethnic minorities at a disadvantage and reiterated the importance of resolving this structural issue. He urged the relevant parties to come up with a comprehensive curriculum to teach Chinese as a second language for non-Chinese students so that they can have equal opportunities in their future studies or career pursuits.
On 18 March, over 80 participants from nearly 70 schools took part in our seminar for schools to exchange insights into how to promote racial inclusion on campus. The event included a panel discussion among experienced educators on the topic “Racial Inclusion: Why and How” and a chat with two opinion leaders on “Promoting Racial Inclusion with Fun and Purpose”.
On top of this, the EOC produced new teaching resources, including “All Races As One” Learning Kit on Eliminating Racial Discrimination and School Policy Framework for the Prevention of Racial Discrimination and Harassment, which can better equip schools and educational professionals with up-to-date materials and skills to teach racial topics in classrooms.
On the social media front, the EOC curated posts on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to call on the communities to reflect on how to eradicate racial discrimination and tackle racial stereotypes.
