70,000,000 People claim Irish Heritage so no doubt some of you will find this Blog interesting (We hope anyway!) A Brief History Of Ireland by John Holwell -T http://genealogypro.com/articles/Irish-history.html

Time to recall our Famine Heroes. Via @irishexaminer-Thttp://www.irishexaminer.com/analysis/time-to-recall-our-famine-heroes-263721.html

What books define Ireland for you ? Some famous Irish people were asked this question recently via @IrishTimes -Thttps://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=g144U5WuMfLe7AaGgIHAAg&url=http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books-that-define-ireland-1.1741778&cd=4&ved=0CD8QFjAD&usg=AFQjCNGRwzNdTueyy7rBcSoUOhHsmFpflQ&sig2=ST5MOTH1OGDbIw1-7GAsSA

Let's Take a Look at The Bright Side

Sometimes we can become so bogged down with all the negativity that happens in our society that it makes it difficult to see all the good that is being done. When we read or watch the news we are bombarded with all the injustices that are taking place. So it's important that every now and then we take a bit of time out and search for all the good that is happening.

Today same sex marriage became legal in England and Wales, with British Prime Minister saying, '"It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth.' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26793127


Andrew Maxwell-Parish, who is a college student in California decided to high-five strangers just to let them know that 'you are awesome.' He caught the strangers reactions on camera, and it definitely brings a smile to the face.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/26/high-five-camera-gopro-video_n_5036299.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news


A friendship between Adreian Payne who is a Michigan State basketball star and Lacey Holsworth, who is an 8 year old girl that suffers from an aggressive cancer of the nerve tissue, has touched the hearts of thousands of fans. It really does prove that true friendship and kindness transcends the colour of ones skin.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/24/adreian-payne-lacey-friendship-michigan-state_n_5021300.html?utm_hp_ref=good-news



There is so much good happening around us all the time, and we would love to hear about the positive experiences you have witnessed or have been a part of.

B~

Racism ; Can I Really Do Anything To Make A Change?

Many of us question what, if anything, can be done to really bring about change. Maybe it is because we find the amount of change needed in the world as daunting and overwhelming. Or maybe it's because we are impatient and expect things to change immediately, but many of us believe that we can't bring about the changes.

The truth and answer to the question is YES you really can bring about changes, to help defeat racism. We need to realise that   'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Lao Tzu' . It's all about taking that single step forward to begin with, and there are lots of ways to do that. You could join a anti-racism group, or educate yourself about anti-racism topics. Or simply ensure that your actions, your words and behaviour are respectful and tolerant to those who are different from you.

You can bring about change, they may seem like a small change for you, but your kindness and tolerance may mean much more for anyone who has been a victim of racism and discrimination.


B~

ROI Against Racism News Part 3 #Chinesehumanrights story via @HRW http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/03/27/china-eu-leaders-should-confront-xi-rights

ROI Against Racism News Part 2 via @Mycoplasma -T #equality..http://www.west-info.eu/netherlands-sees-rising-rate-of-anti-gay-violence/

ROI Against Racism News pt 1 by @sabrinatucci -T https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtBNSyZIRH8

Immigration UK..via freemovement.org - T. Raids in UK found to be unlawful in two thirds of cases.  http://www.freemovement.org.uk/2014/03/26/immigration-raids-found-to-be-unlawful-in-two-thirds-of-cases/

A Roma Reality Check for the UK..T via via Open Society Foundations  http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/roma-reality-check-uk

http://blog.nohatespeechmovement.org/i-am-not-racist-but/ No Hate Speech Movement blog . I am not Racist but...

ENAR Ireland www.iReport.ie feature via Irish Examiner Newspaperhttp://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/online-resource-gives-a-voice-to-victims-of-racism-263274.html#.UzPwVbpNKuY.twitter

Government urged to end Direct Provision..http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/government-urged-to-end-direct-provision-for-asylum-seekers-1.1735225

Global rise in executions..via @ROIsaysno & Irish Timeshttp://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/iraq-and-iran-trigger-global-rise-in-executions-1.1740088#.UzPfb4hBsWk.twitter

Do You Know What Racism Is?

When most people hear the word racism, they automatically think about someone being discriminated against due to the colour of their skin. Thing is, it's not just about the someone's skin tone, Racism occurs when a person is treated unfairly, unkindly or even abusively because they come from a different ethnic background, religion, nationality, gender, age group, sexual orientation or even a different community.

Racism takes many forms, it could be something as subtle as a person crossing to the other side of the street to avoid walking past someone from a certain 'community' to something much more aggressive as physically attacking someone. There are many other forms such as online trolling, name calling, bullying etc. Regardless of how subtle or aggressive any of these actions are they are all uncalled for.

Racism is a dangerous and ugly thing, it divides and separates people making a 'them' and 'us' culture. It makes people feel alone, scared, vulnerable and also creates hate and anger. It is important that if you feel you have been the victim of racism to report it to www.iReport.ie

 

Hello

Welcome to Republic of Ireland Against Racism blog. The ROI Against Racism fully supports an inclusive society in Ireland ,worldwide & in cyber society in which racial , ethnic, social, sexual orientation & gender differences are valued and respected.
We hope you will benefit from the educational articles about what racism is and how it is effecting the world. That you learn by reading about the difficulties faced by various individuals in our society and the wonderful stories of people coming together regardless of what they look like or what community they come from.

If you like what you read here, please feel free to like the blog and to share it. Also feel free to join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/roIar/  and follow us on twitter  https://twitter.com/ROIsaysno