International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2023: ‘why words matter’

The event on Thursday 23 March (12:00-13:30, hybrid) will look at the role of language in abolishing racism at the workplace and beyond.

To mark International Day for the Abolition of Racial Discrimination, Parliament’s Equality, Inclusion and Diversity Unit will hold an event on the topic ‘Anti-racism: why words matter’: this will be an opportunity to highlight why the words we use matter, be it in formal meetings or in small talk discussions.

Guest speaker Susan Arndt, Professor of English Studies and Anglophone Literatures at the University of Bayreuth, will present some of her research on the racist legacy in language. Guest speaker Rolade Berthier, an English language trainer, freelance researcher and author, will give an interactive presentation on why words matter. 

EP Vice-President Dimitrios Papadimoulis will open the event, and Samira Rafaela, MEP and Co-President of the ARDI Intergroup, will take part. Director-General for Personnel Kristian Knudsen and Director for HR Support and Social Services Erika Landi-Gietema will also take the floor.

Staff are welcome to join us in the SPINELLI 1G2 meeting room in Brussels.

This hybrid event will also be hosted on Interactio and will be webstreamed, with speech-to-text available (links to follow). If you wish to speak during the Q&A and would like to check your connection, please log in fifteen minutes before the event.