The Molly Hadfield Social Justice Oration will return on April 1 as part of Darebin's International Women's Day program, with this year's event focused on music, resistance and gender.

Named in honour of the late social justice advocate Molly Hadfield, the annual oration recognises women whose work pushes back against inequality and creates change in community.

Barkandji writer, curator and artist Zena Zada Cumpston will MC the event, while Jawoyn and Torres Strait Islander producer, artist and Candy Suite Productions founder Candice Lorrae will speak alongside musician, academic and community advocate Janelle Johnstone and multidisciplinary artist Marita Dyson of The Orbweavers.

Ms Cumpston said the event stood out because it was grounded in Molly Hadfield's life and the action she took for others.

"It really is about empowering women and a celebration of an incredible woman called Molly Hadfield," she said.

"Molly not only pulled herself up, but she actually also worked to make sure that many other people didn't have the terrible situations that she had."

She said that same sense of responsibility had shaped the way she responded to injustice in her own life.

"When I see injustice, I'm not able to walk past it or turn away or keep my mouth shut," Ms Cumpston said.

"Being a fighter isn't for everyone but I feel that I don't really have a choice."

Ms Cumpston said that commitment to justice was also tied to community and to using her platform carefully.

"I refuse to see myself through that deficit discourse," she said.

"I find it so important to use all of the opportunities that I have... to actually bring the narratives that are important to my community, and other communities to the forefront wherever possible.

"I will always make sure that I am opening pathways for people to have more respect and care for the Aboriginal community and Aboriginal knowledge."

Mrs Lorrae's own contribution to the oration draws from years of work in music production and on the need to create stronger pathways for First Nations women in the industry.

"I'm excited to be part of this year's oration," Mrs Lorrae said.

"Social justice lives in the act of resisting old imbalances.

"Building an industry where women, especially First Nations women, are not fighting for space but helping define it as well."

She said that work was continuing through her Candy Suite studio and a new music hub set to open at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre in Melbourne.

"It's a space where First Nations women can come together," Mrs Lorrae said.

"There's studio recording and there's going to be MIDI stations.

"It's basically physical space where we can come together and thrive together and make space safe in the industry for us."

Mrs Lorrae said the need for those spaces came from her own experience in male-dominated music settings, where women were often pushed aside.

She added that experience had shaped the direction of her work and the kind of industry she wanted to help build.

"All of my work that I do is women-focused," Ms Lorrae said.

"I'm creating the industry around me that I want, that I need as a First Nations woman."

Ms Cumpston said she hoped people who attended would leave with a stronger sense of their own ability to act.

"She [Molly Hadfield] never ever shirked her responsibility to fight for the greater good for all," Ms Cumpston said.

"It's a really incredible night for realising the power that we can all have individually and collectively to make the world a better place."

The Molly Hadfield Social Justice Oration will be held on Wednesday, April 1, as part of Darebin's International Women's Day program.