The key to long-term progress in the fight against racism must be to change individual hearts, the President, Mrs McAleese, told the closing ceremony of the European Year Against Racism in Dublin last night.
Speaking in St Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle, the President presented a number of media awards, initiated by the National Committee of the European Year Against Racism, to journalists whose work was outstanding in highlighting the issue of racism in Ireland.
Among those honoured was Irish Times journalist Paul Cullen, who won the national print media award for his coverage of the refugee issue. Joint winners of the national broadcast media award were RTE journalists Roisin Boyd and Tamsin Fontes for a Prime Time documentary broadcast last June dealing with refugees in Ireland.
Freelance photographer Derek Speirs won the national photographic media award, Tony Galvin of the Tuam Herald won the regional print media award and Rose Tuelo Brock won in the freelance category for a piece she contributed to the Galway City Tribune.
Mrs McAleese spoke of her memories of "being a refugee in my own country" and what she described the "emotional freefall" which occurs when one's home is taken away. She was referring to her family's experience of having to move from Belfast to Dublin following sectarian violence when she was a child.
She said the close of the European Year Against Racism should be seen as a beginning rather than an end. "This is a very important time to reflect, to look forward to the kind of world we want to live in. Shouldn't we now be saying that this year was a start and let's now keep looking to the world we want to create?" The President said those who knew intuitively of the wrongs of racism were in the majority. Some 26 schools and youth club, which took part in the European Year Against Racism, were also honoured.