All Articles

Ending Racism: What Will it Take? OMNI Television Continues the Conversation with Multilingual Audiences in New National Prime-time Specials in Italian and Punjabi, July 17

Join the conversation: #EndingRacism

July 13, 2020 – Building on Rogers Sports & Media’s commitment to continue the discussion on systemic racism in Canada, OMNI Television is set to debut follow-up episodes to Ending Racism: What Will it Take? in Italian and Punjabi, this Friday, July 17. Complementing the original prime-time special aired on June 11 across Rogers Sports & Media platforms, OMNI Television’s 30-minute programs look to engage ethnic audiences by exploring race inequalities faced by Canada’s Black and Indigenous communities. Sharing stories and personal experiences from guests and thought-leaders, the specials will air on OMNI Television and stream live on www.omnitv.ca, beginning with the Punjabi edition at 7:30 p.m. ET and followed by the Italian broadcast at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Ending Racism: What Will it Take? – Punjabi:

Hosted by Focus Punjabi’s Radhika Sharma, Ending Racism: What Will it Take?examines how Canada’s South Asians are showing their support for Black Lives Matter, while also reflecting on ongoing racism and shadeism within the South Asian community. Sharma, along with the OMNI News: Punjabi Edition team of reporters, explores such topics as inequality in local youth sports, and how South Asian parents can have healthy discussion on racism with their kids. Viewers will also hear from community activists, business leaders and everyday Canadians on their personal experiences of systemic racism and ideas on how we can work towards meaningful change.

Ending Racism: What Will it Take? – Italian:

Throughout this show, OMNI News: Italian Edition’s Onofrio Di Lernia will speak with a range of thought-leaders on systemic racism, white privilege and becoming an ally. Guests from Canada’s and Italy’s Black communities will also share personal experiences of discrimination. Guests to include:

  • Amin Nour – Actor, Director, and Black Lives Matter activist, who fled Somalia during its civil war and moved to Italy where he grew up.
  • Chris Obehi – Musician and Singer. Chris fled Nigeria in 2015, was imprisoned in Libya and then reached Lampedusa on a migrant boat across the Mediterranean Sea. He now lives in Palermo and has just published the album Obehi. Chris shares his extraordinary story.
  • David Lametti – Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
  • Diana Pesci – Vice President, Neri Italiani-Black Italians (NIBI Association)
  • Keshia Holloman-Dawson – President, University of Calgary Black Law Students’ Association
  • Sabrina Idukpaye & Iyen Valentino Emwin – Both were born in Nigeria and raised in Italy. Idukpaye now lives in Toronto, Valentino Emwin in Minneapolis.

Viewers can also watch encore episodes of these shows on OMNI Television in the coming days and weeks (check local listings). The Ending Racism: What Will it Take? specials follow such programs as LIVE: #CitylineReal on Race and other ongoing initiatives across Rogers Sports & Media’s brands and platforms to advance the dialogue around racial injustices.

Social Media

OMNI Television on Twitter: @OMNITelevision
OMNI Television Punjabi on Twitter: @OMNIpunjabi
Rogers Sports & Media PR on Twitter: @RogersMediaPR
Rogers Sports & Media PR on Instagram: @rogersmediapr

About OMNI Television
OMNI Television is Canada’s only multilingual and multicultural television broadcaster. Available in 11 million Canadian households, the OMNI brand includes the national TV channel OMNI Regional plus five local television stations. OMNI offers a wide range of locally produced and acquired programming in more than 20 languages, including news, current affairs and entertainment content in Cantonese, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin and Punjabi. OMNI is part of Rogers Sports & Media, which is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX, NYSE: RCI). Visit OMNITV.ca.