From the horrific situation that unfolded in nine public housing blocks in Melbourne, to an open letter condemning cancel culture, to a white country band suing a Black blues singer for a name she's been using for 20 years – this ep, we debrief

Episode 63: Towards Accountability (with Eunice Andrada)

Jul 5th, 2020 50m

As more people than ever before begin to grapple with systemic racism around the world, we’re seeing organisations, institutions and even entire industries being rightly held accountable for their racist past and present. To mark our first one

Episode 62: Karen Whomst?

Jun 22nd, 2020 19m 31s

We're back together in the studio this week, IRL! What better time to unpack the phenomenon of white women weaponising race (and often, tears) against Black and First Nations people. Why do they do it? And why is it so dangerous to claim victim

Episode 61: Black Thoughts (with Ziggy Ramo)

Jun 15th, 2020 25m 29s

As the Black Lives Matter movement draws attention to ongoing systemic racism the world over, rapper Ziggy Ramo has just dropped an album that speaks so directly to this moment – but it was actually written five years ago. He takes us through h

Episode 60: Next Steps

Jun 8th, 2020 23m 11s

It's been a WEEK. Right now we're seeing growing and unprecedented recognition of racism and police brutality – in the States, globally, and of course, here on our soil. So where to from here? How do we sustain this energy today, tomorrow and f

Episode 59: I Can't Breathe

Jun 1st, 2020 19m 11s

“I can’t breathe” were some of George Floyd’s last words, before his death at the hands of police. This was the same phrase Eric Garner repeated as he was fatally restrained by police in 2014. It’s also the same phrase that Dunghutti man David

Episode 58: Why Don't You Say So? (with Carolina De La Piedra)

May 25th, 2020 23m 53s

Between Doja Cat and Lana Del Rey, there is some hectic race-related controversy bouncing around pop music right now. We unpack Lana's dripping-in-white-woman-fragility Instagram rant. Plus, Carolina De La Piedra fills us in on what's going on

Episode 57: Never Have I Ever... Seen Myself On Screen

May 18th, 2020 26m 27s

Mindy Kaling's new teen Netflix comedy-drama is being hailed as a watershed moment for South Asian representation. But what does that really mean, when the bar is already so low, if not non-existent? We talk about what Never Have I Ever got rig

Episode 56: A Man Was Lynched Yesterday

May 11th, 2020 17m 28s

Between 1920 and 1938, a flag bearing the words "A man was lynched yesterday" was flown from the headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People in the United States. But as the recent murder of Ahmaud Arbery sho

Episode 55: Humour and Desire (with Janette Chen)

Apr 27th, 2020 21m 42s

Chinese-Australian author Janette Chen walks us through translating formative experiences onto the page and the pivotal role stationery had in getting her started as a writer. You can read Janette's stories in Sweatshop Women Volume One and Two

Episode 54: Privilege in Isolation

Apr 20th, 2020 21m 20s

It’s been over a month since the government advised self isolation and social distancing across Australia. A LOT has happened since then... including some deeply misguided at best, unhinged at worst celeb moments (hey Madonna + Gal Gadot, we se

Episode 53: Top of the List

Apr 13th, 2020 25m 51s

One of the silver linings of this strange moment is that many of us are finding ourselves with a bit of extra time on our hands. Why not spend it with some of the art made by our communities? We put the question to you: what PoC-led media are y

Episode 52: (Re)connection (with DOBBY)

Mar 30th, 2020 18m 53s

If your artistic practice hinges on live performance, what does COVID-19 mean for you and your livelihood? We catch up with former Race Matters host and rapper DOBBY aka Rhyan Clapham to hear about how he's navigating these uncertain times as a

Episode 51: Self-care in Isolation

Mar 23rd, 2020 20m 29s

In these incredibly tough times, how are you looking after yourself? We reached out to a bunch of past Race Matters guests and friends to hear how they're practising self-care while physically distancing. You'll hear from Courte Marsh, Nathan S

Episode 50: The Coconut Children (with Vivian Pham)

Mar 16th, 2020 19m 7s

Widely acclaimed not even a month after its publication, Western Sydney author Vivian Pham's 'The Coconut Children' is set to be one of the most loved debuts of the year. She chats about what drew her to the written word, how Sydney Story Facto

From The Vault: For Us, By Us (with Ayeesha Ash)

Mar 9th, 2020 28m 33s

We dive into our vault, unearthing a conversation from 2018 with artist, 2019 FBi SMAC Award winner, and Artistic Director of Black Birds theatre collective, Ayeesha Ash – on representation on-stage, Rachel Dolezal, and the power of seeing Sola

Episode 49: Subtle Resistance, Big Gains (with Kirli Saunders)

Mar 2nd, 2020 24m 52s

Ahead of Blak Matriarchies, a panel as part of All About Women at the Sydney Opera House, Gunai woman Kirli Saunders joins us to chat about the power of Language, Blak ownership and empowering First Nations youth with her program Poetry in Firs

Episode 48: Felt Safe, Might Delete Later (with Sab D'Souza)

Feb 24th, 2020 18m 39s

Has a Facebook group changed the way you connect with your ethnic identity? Artist and researcher Sab D’Souza explores online practices of diasporic youth through their work – so we're diving deep with them into the phenomenon of culturally-spe

Episode 47: Interracial Relationships

Feb 10th, 2020 24m 29s

What role does race play in your romances? In the lead up to Valentine's Day, we unpack some of the complexities that come with interracial relationships, and the damaging simplicity of many of the recurring tropes used to depict them on-screen

Episode 46: Invasion Day

Jan 20th, 2020 28m 32s

Ahead of Invasion Day 2020, we talk the ongoing colonisation of this country, what productive, positive allyship can look like, and shifting the focus from simply changing the date to changing the system.// Invasion Day rallies are happening

From the Vault: The Other-Race Effect (with Avani Dias)

Jan 6th, 2020 12m 49s

Have you ever been mistaken for someone of a similar ethnic background? Journalist and triple j Hack host Avani Dias explains the psychology behind this phenomenon. Plus, we talk about how social media groups can foster a sense of community by

Bonus: A 2019 Retrospective

Dec 23rd, 2019 30m 26s

When did you realise there is power in your race? For more than half the year, we've been asking each guest that comes on Race Matters that very question. So we thought we'd run through a few of them. In this episode, you'll hear from Bhenji Ra

Episode 45: Just Us (with Nessa Turnbull-Roberts)

Dec 16th, 2019 46m 6s

Content warning: this episode contains discussion of suicide, depression and abuse. If this brings anything to the surface for you, or you just need to talk to someone, please see contact any of the following: Lifeline Crisis Hotline: 13 11 14

Episode 44: Cya 2019!

Dec 9th, 2019 29m 5s

We reflect on the year gone by, and some of the incredible guests we've been lucky enough to have join us this year. Plus, we chat a couple of recent milestone moments, and our ones to watch for 2020.