WOMEN OF COLOUR GATHERING 2024: Liberation in collective power, joy and resistance.

Our sixth annual event, Women of Colour Melbourne 2024, will explore liberation and how power, joy, and resistance can catalyze change.

An incredible line of speakers, facilitators and performers who will grace our 2024 event with their talent, skills, expertise, and humour are listed below. We can't wait to come together to reflect on how the last years have been, celebrate our wins and solidarity on the world's human cost and reunite for greater liberation, justice and the impact that transcends us.

As always, the conference promises to be a beautiful opportunity to unite in solidarity, celebrate the strength in our diversity, share stories of resilience, and even dance and connect!

Women of colour's life stories, dreams, and achievements are testaments to courage, resistance, and hope. Let’s weave our voices together and sing transformative songs.

All self-identified women of colour are welcome and encouraged to participate and share their thoughts, ideas and talents. 💙🧡💚💕✊🏾

#wocmelbournegathering

#womanism

#intersectionalfeminism

The conference theme has been developed in consultation with the Women of Colour Melbourne Collective and the WOC community. Conference FAQ

EVENT SPEAKERS LIST

Dr Mandy Nicholson Dr Mandy Nicholson: Indigenous Scholar, Lecturer - Indigenous design & Renowned Artist. Dr Mandy Nicholson is the Djirri Djirri, Founder and Director, PhD Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander philosophies. Mandy mentors First Nation young girls through learning and teaching of culture, language, dance, and maintenance of ceremonial practices. Mandy gained a Bachelor of Arts (2nd class Honours) in Aboriginal Archaeology in 2011 and worked for the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL) for six years, becoming a Woiwurrung language specialist in addition to her 26+ years of language revival. Mandy completed her PhD in 223, focusing on Country and how people connect to it Off Country. Titled 'On Country Off Country' her research highlights layers of Country, physical and spiritual ways of connecting and how you carry Country within you no matter where and 'when' (genetic memory) you are.

Summayyah Sadiq-Ojibara is a Psychotherapist, Counselor, Life Coach, Writer, Storyteller, Speaker, Mindfulness Guide, and Creativity Consultant with over 25 years of experience and practice. Summayyah is the Founder and CEO of ComXtra Knowledge Concepts, a Counselling, Coaching, and Creativity consultant. She also runs her private practice, DEW Counseling, a service of ComXtra, for individuals and groups in Australia and overseas. She designed and delivered Aspire, a Personal and Professional Development, Self-Awareness, Life Strategies and
Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Transformation Programme for different groups across needs, communities, gender, race, ethnicity, and age. She delivers various programmes, talks, workshops, camps, retreats, and other works such as podcasts and book writing.

Dr Radhika Santhanam-Martin is a clinical psychologist who specialises in trauma. She has more than thirty years of therapeutic experience in tertiary and clinical institutions in India, Canada, and Australia. She developed child and youth mental health services for the remote communities of Cape York and Torres Strait between 2001 – 2010. She works in Melbourne with organisations that work with refugees, asylum seekers, culturally and linguistically diverse communities and Indigenous families. Her major interests include a) ways of working with cultures, b) attachment theory and therapeutic work, c) narrative methods of practice, and d) enhancing the reflective capacity of practitioners through peer group supervision.

Khayshie Tilakramesh is a lawyer by trade but a storyteller and educator by heart. She is a well-respected community leader and trusted advisor with almost 10 years of strategy and governance experience across local government, legal, leadership, housing, health, mental health, youth, gender equality and multicultural sectors. She proudly served two consecutive terms as the Multicultural Youth Commissioner of Victoria and has represented Australia’s gender equality priorities globally at the United Nations on multiple occasions. Khayshie is a sought-after thought leader in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and intersectional gender equality spaces. Herdeep understanding of people, community and systems enables her to change hearts and minds by making the ‘invisible’ visible.

Amna Bakhtiar is a writer, and comedian currently based in Melbourne with a professional background in research & strategy. She is a tribal Pashtun woman from Peshawar, Pakistan and has performed stand-ups at Darwin Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Bellingen Winter Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Thuy Hoang human resources career has spanned small businesses to multinationals. She has worked in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and come home again, spicing things up with culture shock a few times. Thuy has collected awesome humans who have helped her to see what is possible and navigate new normals with hope. Whether it be why it might not be a good idea to compliment someone on "looking sharp" or being a working parent in a dual-career household with aging parents and two high-energy and curious third-culture kids. Thuy is building the plane as she flies with her seatbelt fastened, ready for turbulence and loving the vista no matter the weather

Dr Nisha Khot is an obstetrician and gynaecologist. She studied medicine in India and moved to UK initially before coming to Australia in 2010. She is the director and head of the unit at Frankston Hospital. She is also the Vice President of the Royal Australia and NZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, RANZCOG. She has advocated for women of colour in healthcare leadership in this role and others. She is the board chair of the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health, a non-profit organisation involved in improving health literacy, sexual and
reproductive healthcare and leadership for migrant and refugee women.

Melanie Montalban is a Special Counsel in the Pasifik Program at the EnvironmentalDefenders Office (EDO). In this role, Melanie primarily advises on human rights-based climate litigation in the Pasifik. Melanie’s previous roles at EDO were Special Counsel, Human Rights and Managing Lawyer, ACT, where she focused on climate justice and human rights matters and advocated for legal recognition of the human right to a healthy environment in Australia. Prior to becoming an environmental lawyer, Melanie was a refugee lawyer in Australia and the Asia-Pasifik region. Melanie combines her experiences to now work at the intersection of human rights and environmental law. Outside of EDO, Melanie holds multiple academic and advocacy roles. Melanie is a Sessional Academic at the University of Canberra where she teaches environmental law and human rights law and is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Law, Macquarie University where she researches the nexus between biodiversity and human rights. Melanie is also a Senior Co-Chair of the Human Rights and Environment Subcommittee at Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and a member of the Core Team at the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment.

VENUE DIRECTION

The gathering will be held in person at RMIT, Melbourne, Level 4 of Building 80. 435-457 Swanston Street.

RMIT Building 80 (B80) is entered via Swanston Street, Melbourne. All RMIT Buildings display their building number prominently with RMIT signage. There are elevators and escalators at all levels. B80 has a funky semi-industrial décor design. The lighting would generally be considered suitable for most people with light sensitivity.

The nearest train station is a two-block walk from Melbourne Central station. If approaching from Melbourne Central train station, the building is on the left-hand side of Swanston Street. Note that some road works are now obscuring some views and pathways in Melbourne. Trams run the length of Swanston Street, with a stop outside B80.