Tralee woman Úna-Minh Kavanagh selected for Anti-Racism Committee

TRALEE woman Úna-Minh Kavanagh has been selected as a member of a new, independent Anti-Racism Committee announced by the Department of Justice and Equality last week.

Ms Kavanagh (28) will be one of 16 members involved in drawing up an action plan to tackle racism in this country. The committee will be chaired by Caroline Fennell.

When contacted by The Kerryman, Ms Kavanagh said she was not at liberty to comment on behalf of the committee on the workings or establishment of the group. She has, however, said that she is “extremely pleased and humbled” to have been selected, and described her colleagues as extraordinary people.

The committee will discuss its ideas for tackling racism, and after its work is complete, which is expected to take around a year, it will recommend an action plan to government. It held its first meeting via Zoom last Thursday, during which Ministers Charlie Flanagan and David Stanton addressed the cohort.

As part of its work, the committee will review contemporary evidence of racial discrimination and will study international best practice on combating racism. It will also interact with relevant stakeholders on such issues.

Ms Kavanagh last year published an account of her life to date – Anseo – in which she discussed growing up in Tralee town after being adopted by her mother, Noreen, from a

Vietnamese hospital in 1991.

She provided accounts of being racially abused, which she told The Kerryman had been rare in the earlier stages of her life but became more frequent upon moving to Dublin.

Ms Kavanagh earned a BA in Irish and Journalism from Dublin City University and was named Social Activist of the Year by U Magazine in 2017. Now based in County Louth, the journalist and multimedia content creator runs the website WeAreIrish.ie.

Úna-Minh Kavanagh (right) with her mother, Noreen.