Why Harmony Day Falls Short and How to Mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with Kids

A few years ago, I picked up some kids from school to take them to my after-school program, and they mentioned that they had been celebrating Harmony Day. I am not very good at hiding what I'm thinking, and I scrunched my face up in distaste. They immediately asked questions. You see, I'm not a fan of Harmony Day.

Harmony Day is a creation of former Prime Minister John Howard in 1999, and Australia is the only country in the world that marks this day in this way. Everyone else in the world knows this day as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The rebranded Harmony Day paints a picture of a multicultural haven where everyone gets along and there is peace, harmony, sunshine and rainbows. In contrast, IDERD was established by the United Nations to commemorate the 1960 massacre in Sharpeville, where peaceful protestors were killed while opposing racist pass laws under apartheid.

This day was never meant to be about wearing orange and celebrating food from around the world. It was meant to be about naming racism clearly. It was meant to be about examining systems that advantage some and harm others. It was meant to be about the elimination of racism, not some faux kind of harmony. One asks everyone to get along, while the other is about confronting justice.

It is also important to be honest about where we live. Australia is not a harmonious country that simply needs everyone to get along a little better. This nation was built on the violent dispossession of First Nations peoples. The impacts of that history are not confined to the past. Racism is embedded in our institutions, policies and everyday life. If we avoid naming that, we teach children a partial story. And partial stories make it harder to create meaningful change.

Children can handle the truth. In many ways, they are more ready for it than adults. They already have a sharp sense of fairness. They notice who gets picked first and who does not. They notice accents, skin colour, power and exclusion. Some people argue that we should let kids be kids and wait until they are older to talk about racism. But for many children in Australia, racism is not an abstract concept. It is part of their daily reality. Over 40% of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and students from culturally and linguistically diverse communities have experienced racism from other students. If some children are young enough to experience racism, then the rest are old enough to learn about how to stop it. The real question is not whether children are ready. It is whether we are willing to guide them with honesty and care.

Before we ask children to grapple with racism, though, we adults need to be doing our own work. That means learning the real history of this country, including invasion, massacres, stolen wages and stolen children. It means listening to BIPOC voices and their experiences without becoming defensive. It means examining how our schools, workplaces and communities advantage some people and disadvantage others. It means noticing when we stay silent because speaking up feels uncomfortable. It means challenging racist comments at family gatherings, questioning biased media narratives, diversifying whose work we read and share, and being willing to stand in solidarity with people who are asking for change. Children are always watching. If we want them to grow into people who interrupt injustice, they need to see us doing it too. Here are a bunch of resources I've found really helpful.

So, Harmony Day is trash. If you didn't realise this before, that's OK. There is a big marketing campaign for Harmony Day that has many of us fooled. If you would like to mark IDERD in a way that builds awareness and agency rather than just good vibes, here are three ways to do that with primary-aged children.

3 Things You Can Do With Kids to Mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

1. Tell the real story of why this day exists

Share, in age-appropriate language, what happened in Sharpeville and why the United Nations established the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Be clear that racism is not just about individual unkindness. It can be built into laws and systems.

Importantly, do not position children of colour as spokespersons or educators. No child should feel required to share personal experiences. Create space for learning without putting anyone on display. Below are a few video resources you can use.

Ages 5-8

• Sesame Street: What is Racism?

• A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory

• Gary Learns About Racism, CBC Kids

• Caillou Stands Against Racism (the first 5 minutes)

Ages 8-10

• Let's Talk About Racism, Human Rights Commission

• Just Ignore It, An Anti-Racism Film

For Ages 10-12

• Explaining privilege to children through a race, ABC (the entire series of The School That Tried To End Racism is excellent and I've watched it with kids before)

• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, BTN

• How Aboriginal are you?' defending place in culture, ABC

• Racism Report, BTN

2. Explore the difference between racist behaviour and anti racist action

Children are often taught that racism is about being mean about other people's skin colour or culture. That definition is too small. Racism can show up as exclusion, stereotypes, low expectations, biased rules, or silence when harm is happening. Anti racist action is not simply avoiding those behaviours. It is actively working to interrupt them. You might explore this through scenarios that focus on community response rather than individual guilt.

For example:

• A school rule unfairly targets certain hairstyles (this video is a great example of that)

• A history lesson leaves out First Nations resistance (this was how the "discovery" of Australia was taught up until very recently)

• A joke relies on a stereotype

Ask:

• Who is harmed here?

• Who benefits?

• What would anti racist action look like?

• What could we change so this does not keep happening?

This shifts the focus away from labelling individual children as good or bad and toward examining patterns, systems and shared responsibility. Ibram X. Kendi's book, Antiracist Baby, is a fantastic place to start.

3. Audit your bookshelf, curriculum and calendar

Take an honest look at the stories, resources and celebrations you centre across the year. Whose voices are foundational? Whose histories are treated as optional? Which cultures are normalised, and which are introduced as special topics?

When reviewing books and materials, avoid positioning children of colour as cultural guides or representatives. No child should feel responsible for explaining their identity. The work of broadening representation belongs to adults. Aim for stories by First Nations authors and authors of colour to be woven throughout the year, not brought out only on designated days. Representation should reflect the everyday reality of your community, not function as a diversity spotlight.

Then widen the lens beyond books. Look at your calendar. Which celebrations are centred and resourced? Which are acknowledged briefly, if at all? What messages does that send about whose traditions matter? Rather than adding token acknowledgements, consider how you might:

• Learn about the cultural and religious celebrations represented within your community

• Invite families to share if they wish, without pressure

• Ensure that no child feels invisible during major cultural moments

• Make space for First Nations dates of significance alongside widely recognised holidays

The goal is not to celebrate everything superficially. It is to build a rhythm across the year that reflects the diversity, sovereignty and lived realities of the people in your care.

I'd love to hear more about what you're doing to mark International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Please share in the comments below.