New anti-racism campaign – Stop Racism. It Starts with Me
Metro North Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Executive Director Adjunct Professor Sherry Holzapfel and staff at the Stop Racism. It Starts With Me campaign.
An anti-racism campaign co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, patients and community members is helping Metro North staff identify and address unconscious bias and institutional racism.
The Stop Racism. It Starts with Me. campaign is backed by the new Metro North Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander anti-racism policy and formal reporting mechanism to ensure incidents of racism are addressed, not ignored. These initiatives are building a safer, fairer and more inclusive health system for the people of Metro North.
The campaign was designed as part of truth-telling and focusing on what racism looks like, sounds like and feels like.
Principal Culture, Engagement and Wellbeing Advisor Nikita King is one of 47 campaign ambassadors recruited to support the campaign and to accompany the introduction of a new policy outlining the process to report incidents of racism across Metro North Health.
“I actively speak up against racist behaviour and call it out for what it is. I am driving equality by leaning on my colleagues and the Metro North Health Peer Responder network to walk beside us on this journey to close the gap and put a stop to racist behaviour,” Nikita said.
“I feel very grateful to be in a space that allows me to walk as an active ally.”
As part of the campaign, Metro North has also introduced a new policy outlining the process to report incidents of racism across Metro North.