Engaging multicultural communities in antiracist advocacy during global crisis events: Lessons from COVID-19 in Australia
Researcher:
During global crisis events, social media plays a crucial role the sharing of information and supports. This is especially salient for ethnically and religiously diverse communities, who are routinely targeted by racist disinformation campaigns during periods of social and economic upheaval. We have seen this at play during the COVID- 19 pandemic, with a growing body of national and international research illuminating how multicultural communities are further marginalised by pandemic-related racism. We know little, however, about how these communities are being supported through antiracist advocacy. This project seeks to enhance current scholarly and practical understandings of the experiences, challenges, and needs of ethnically and religiously diverse communities during an ongoing global health emergency. Through focus group discussion with ethic media producers/social media influencers, community leaders, and multicultural service providers, the project will shed light on the multicultural communities’ experiences with antiracism advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, Australia. Participants will also be invited to be part of an ongoing, community-driven consultation to implement a longer-term program of collaborative research focused on engaging communities in the co-design, implementation and evaluation of antiracism initiatives and resources.