PRINZ Central Event: Managing Public Perceptions in a Hostile Environment
Central Committee Chair Diana Wolken welcomed attendees to the first Autumn Breakfast Seminar, on the topic of communicating in confrontational and hostile environments. These Breakfast Seminars have been hosted and catered with generous support from Te Puni Kokiri.
Committee member Daniel Paul was MC for the morning and set the scene for what was to follow by asking the audience to think about the disparity between what is legal and what is publicly acceptable.
The first speaker was Eugene Ryder, leader of the Wellington chapter of the Black Power and also a Wellesley Community Action volunteer.
Wearing his gang patch and moko, Eugene shared his personal story of moving to Wellington and being imprisoned at the age of 16, his introduction to the Black Power at the time of its inception in the 1970s and the work he and a handful of other members are doing now towards re-defining the Black Power and their focus on helping future generations of Maori lead positive lives.
Eugene explained the objective of this small but growing sub-group within the Black Power as reducing the number of Maori in prison and showing the good side of their members. The strategies they are using to achieve this include changing the incentives to get gang patches, for example qualifying in a trade and staying out of prison.
As a group based on a political movement the Black Power is acutely aware of the community’s perception of the gang and of mainstream media as a powerful public education tool, including the policy some newspapers have of only running negative stories about the group.
Eugene’s message was simply not to judge a book by its cover – not all people wearing moko are to be feared, but not everyone shares his perspective and approach.
Next up was Catherine Healy, National Coordinator of the Prostitutes Collective.
Catherine’s presentation was titled: Soliciting for Change – Standing up for Sex Workers.
Established in 1987, the collective was contracted to the Ministry of Health in 1988 to provide community based services to sex workers, focusing on sexual and reproductive health.
Catherine spoke of the impact of stigma and the need to engage with the stereotypical image of sex workers, using an analogy of peeling of the layers to reveal the real person within. She also described the importance of building a supportive social network for sex workers and the need for the collective to gain support from a wide range of people, from sex workers themselves to public health officials.
The collective’s challenge is to confront prejudices without alienating support. They currently respond to all media enquiries, accepting that not all stories paint the industry in a positive or balanced light.
Several questions from the audience followed the conclusion of Eugene and Catherine’s presentations, revealing a mix of curiosity about their respective roles and the level of strategic planning involved in getting their message across.
Eugene and Catherine were warmly thanked by the audience and each received a small token on behalf of PRINZ.
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