A NEW photographic exhibition on at the ANU puts the spotlight on the question of racism in our country.

“We Bleed the Same” – presumably an adaptation of Shylock’s famous rhetorical question: “Do we not bleed?”, features portraits of 33 people including Dunghutti elder Leetona Dungay, whose son died in custody, former Racial Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane, Stolen Generation survivor Uncle Widdy, former child soldier Deng Adut, former Swans star and AFL player Michael O’Loughlin.

They share stories about their diverse cultures and experiences with racism in The Lucky Country, fleeing war and persecution, and their struggles for justice.

The exhibition is brought to the ANU by the Herbert and Valmae Freilich Project for the Study of Bigotry.

The public is also involved, having been invited through social media to send in photos reflecting their culture and lifestyle in Australia. Their pictures will be hung on the Kizuna installation – the Hills Hoist – and the installation will grow as photos of more people are added.

Other stories in the show come from Larrakia man Thomas Mayor: journalist/filmmaker Patrick Abboud, rapper L-FRESH The LION; refugee Thanush Selvarasa, who spent eight years locked up in indefinite detention; Australian/Uighur Subhi Bora; author and journalist Benjamin Law; actor Bryan Brown; former Socceroos captain and human rights activist Craig Foster; Councillor Kun Huang; three-time World Boxing Champion/lawyer Lovemore Ndou, and Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie.

“The exhibition is designed to show both the devastation that racism causes within the Australian community, but also the amazing resilience, strength and determination displayed by individuals who have experienced racism,” ANU Freilich project convenor, Melissa Lovell, says.

“We Bleed the Same” will be at the ANU Research School of Social Sciences building for the next six months.