---
title: Democracy in Colour
type: advocacy
status: active
country: AU
website: https://democracyincolour.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/democracy-in-colour-icon.png
logo_bg: light
banner: /assets/org-logos/democracy-in-colour.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-24
  email: info@democracyincolour.org
  source: https://democracyincolour.org/contact/
summary: Australia's first national racial justice advocacy organisation led by people
  of colour, campaigning to address structural racism in Australian political, media,
  and civic institutions and to build the political power of communities of colour.
concepts:
- democracy
- representative-democracy
- isegoria
location:
  latitude: -37.8136
  longitude: 144.9631
  name: Melbourne, Australia
  precision: city
rss_feed: https://democracyincolour.org/feed
events:
- date: '2017-07-01'
  title: Launched in Canberra by founder Tim Lo Surdo as Australia's first national
    racial-justice advocacy organisation led by people of colour
  url: https://www.devex.com/news/q-a-tim-lo-surdo-on-how-to-bring-a-voice-to-australia-s-communities-of-color-90674
  quote: a new advocacy organization was launched in Canberra to fight structural
    racism in Australia. Democracy in Colour is led and directed by people of color
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-12'
  notable: true
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-05
    date: 2026-07-05
    note: Site confirmed active; Noura Mansour still National Director per LinkedIn/site,
      matching existing page
  rss:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-07-29
    note: 'Latest post: Democracy in Colour welcomes court ruling upholding racial
      discrimination findin'
    url: https://democracyincolour.org/democracy-in-colour-welcomes-court-ruling-upholding-racial-discrimination-finding-against-pauline-hanson/
last_checked: '2026-07-05'
---

Democracy in Colour is a registered charity and advocacy organisation focused on racial justice in Australian democracy. Its focus is on *who* participates in democracy — addressing the structural barriers and systemic racism that shape whose voices are heard in political, media, and civic life — rather than procedural democratic reform.

## Key people

- **Neha Madhok** — founding National Director (approximately 2017–2024); built the organisation from its inception into a nationally recognised advocacy body.[^dic]
- **Noura Mansour** — current National Director (from 2024).[^dic]

## Campaigns and programs

- **Racism Out of Politics** — flagship campaign targeting racial bias in political discourse
- **Racism Out of Media** — targeting systemic racism in Australian media coverage
- **Racial Justice Program** (formerly People of Colour Placement Program) — a leadership pipeline placing people of colour into political and civic institutions
- **Western Sydney Climate Justice Fellowship** — builds climate leadership among PoC communities in Western Sydney
- **Melbourne Create Change Fellowship** — similar fellowship for Melbourne-based PoC

## Note on scope

Democracy in Colour's work is distinct from electoral or procedural reform organisations. Its framing is racial justice and political power — changing who has a seat at the table — rather than changes to democratic mechanisms or institutions. It is included here as part of the broader democracy landscape because representation and participation are structural democratic questions.

## Links

- Website: [democracyincolour.org](https://democracyincolour.org)

## See also

- [Democracy](../concepts/democracy.md)
- [Representative Democracy](../concepts/representative-democracy.md)
- [Isegoria](../concepts/isegoria.md)

[^dic]: "Democracy in Colour is an organisation that advocates for racial justice by identifying the various manifestations of racism in society and providing targeted and strategic interventions that centre the voices and lived experiences of racialised and marginalised communities." [About](https://democracyincolour.org/about/), Democracy in Colour.