Interviewer: Dr Jáfia Naftali Câmara
Panthers: Dr Melani Anae and Alec Toleafoa
Interview date: 24/03/2025
In this story
Two founding members of the Polynesian Panthers look back on more than fifty years of peaceful resistance and education against racism, and forward to the work still ahead.
From the dawn raids of the 1970s to their Educate to Liberate workshops in schools today, Dr Melani Anae and Reverend Alec Toleafoa share how a movement born in teenage outrage became a lifelong fight for justice, dignity and truth-telling in Aotearoa.
“The only way we can fight racism is if we do it together.”
MELANI ANAE
Inside you’ll find:
- How the Panthers’ grassroots activism in the 1970s exposed systemic racism in Aotearoa
- The community education programmes they founded – Educate to Liberate and Our Living Room – now transforming schools and teacher training
- Their vision and approach to anti-racist pedagogy, grounded in peaceful resistance and cultural pride
- Reflective questions to spark discussion and connect their experience to your own practice
- What today’s educators and policymakers can learn from their fifty-year legacy
An inspiring story of courage, education and solidarity, showing how anti-racist activism rooted in love can reshape a nation’s future.
