Speakers hold fast to their vision of race unity

Clearly this year’s Awards were as effective as usual in giving a voice to a cohort of young people with a passion for healing the blight of racism.

This year’s Race Unity Speech Award participants were undaunted by the Awards going online due to the restrictions of lockdown. They embraced the unique opportunity to offer their insights into how we can move towards a more just and united Aotearoa.

Jess Jenkins, the national champion, said “In 20 years from now, we must reach a place where we are all equal, a mutual agreement where every citizen is treated for their contributions, their achievements. … This is the future we need to envision.”

Organised every year by the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs (OPA) with the support of a group of government and civil society bodies, the Awards aim to give young people a voice in the national conversation about race relations in Aotearoa. The Office sees this as part of its sphere of work in participating in the discourses of society on the national stage. Besides race unity, the Office also engages in discourses on the role of religion, and the role of youth in society.

Clearly this year’s Awards were effective in giving a voice to a cohort of young people with a passion for healing the blight of racism. Their efforts were ably supported by a team that included the eminent television journalist Ms Miriama Kamo as MC for the national final; the judging panel which included Mrs Huti Watson representing the Bahá’í community, Race Relations Commissioner Mr Meng Foon, Deputy Police Commissioner Wallace Haumaha, and Professor Edwina Pio of Auckland University of Technology; and Mr Paddy Payne, Ms Bev Watson and Mr Aidan MacLeod from the Office of Public Affairs, keeping everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

Success in holding the event despite lockdown conditions is an encouraging sign of the resilience and agility of the New Zealand Bahá’í community in adapting to the new situation during this health crisis. The National Spiritual Assembly took time out of its meeting that weekend to listen to the speeches and panel discussion and warmly commended the Office for its professionalism in managing the complexities involved.

This year’s Speech Awards also celebrated Youth Week (9-17 May), which had the theme “E kōrero ana mātou. E whakarongo ana koutou? | We’re speaking. Are you listening?” The event included a panel discussion with Muslim leader Tayyaba Khan, 13 year old activist Ruby Judson, slam poet Stevie Davis-Tana and youth mentor Allie Zohoori-Dossa (who also happens to be a member of the Auckland Area Teaching Committee). The panel discussion (of about 1hr 40mins) was facilitated by Aidan McLeod. A recording of the discussion is available if you jump 1 hour 43 minutes into the full recording of the Speech Awards https://youtu.be/4ymWp6ug0kk

Jess Jenkins is a year 13 student at Tawa College. Drawing on her Ngāti Kahungunu and Pākehā heritage, she used her own identity as a metaphor for the past and future of race relations in New Zealand. “Just as my white ancestors fought my Māori ones, racism exists here. We must first face the blatant separation occurring within society today to secure our ideal racism-free future”, she said.

In regional championships leading up to the finals, several contestants linked combatting racism with fighting the coronavirus.

Manawatu regional champion Shaye Witehira asked “Why aren’t we worried about the lives of victims of racism? … If we were to tackle racism the way in which we tackle the coronavirus, I believe we could first decrease the statistics of racism before we are away with it.”

And Otago regional champion Jen Marsh said, “Despite the fight against COVID-19 occurring outside these four walls, we are staying together progressing our journey to race unity through the most trying of times.”

The Awards, organised by the Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs, are sponsored by NZ Police (principal sponsor), the Human Rights Commission, the Office of Ethnic Communities, Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission), Speech New Zealand, the Hedi Moani Charitable Trust, Studio Marque and the Manukau Institute of Technology.

Information about the principal award winner and winners in various categories can be found on the Race Unity Speech Awards website, https://raceunity.nz/. Videos of their speeches are available on the site’s home page.

Last year national finalist Takunda Muzondiwa’s speech “Dear Racism” (https://youtu.be/2jirm3x5waU) was viewed more than 1.5 million times online. Ms Muzondiwa will be a speaker at the National Race Unity Hui, to be held later in 2020.

Featured image: Jess Jenkins of Tawa College delivering her award-winning speech.