Join us at BLAK DOT GALLERY for a conversation exploring systemic racism, Black masculinity and mental health with friends and activists, former AFL footballer Heritier Lumumba and artist wāni Le Frere.  

This 40 minute conversation will be filmed in front of an audience and followed by a short audience Q&A session. 
 
Both during and after Heritiér Lumumba’s 223 game AFL career, Lumumba’s willingness to speak out against racism, homophobia and other forms of systemic injustice - both within his code and beyond - attracted scorn and stigmatising attacks on his mental health and sensitivity from an anti-Black, sexist and ableist culture. 
 
Spoken word artist wāni Le Frere has for the past 4 years honed a compelling ability to centre Blackness and express complex social observations through the sharing of stories based on his own lived experience. In July 2017, his debut solo show ‘Tales of an Afronaut’ explored, amongst other things, experiencing anti-Blackness as a Black man in Australia, internalised misogyny, trauma and mental health recovery.  
 
In this conversation, moderated by writer, friend and feminist Pauline Vetuna, Heritiér and wāni will be unpacking the intersection of anti-Blackness, mental health shaming and masculinity.  
 
This will be the first of a series of public conversations on anti-Blackness in Australia, and its intersections with other forms of systemic oppression, that will be filmed and released online as a public resource and conversation starter.  
 
In Dialogue: 
Heritér Lumumba 
wāni Le Frère 
 
Facilitated by: 
Pauline Vetuna 
 
 
 
We acknowledge that this event will take place on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations the traditional custodians. We pay our respects to their elders past, present and future. We recognise that sovereignty has not been ceded. We stand in solidarity with First Nations people.