Trying to spark change and progress within these larger, often politicised spaces can seem daunting. Especially when conversations around policy seem like massive challenges and can make people feel like they can’t do anything to affect them.
However, there are still many tangible actions that you can take. These include:
When fighting racism, we must remember that people of colour exist across all other communities as well. People of colour can be women, disabled, working class, LGBTQIA+ and all of the above!
Mutual aid is all about communities coming together, building networks and initiatives through which they can support one another in solidarity. "Mutual-aid systems operate under the notion that everyone has something to contribute, and everyone has something they need."
If you plan on organising and or participating in actions such as protests, it’s important to stay safe. Prepare what you will wear in case the situation becomes unsafe, and know your rights, which can differ based on the state you are in; more information on your rights can also be found here.
If you plan on writing to your local representatives, note that:
If you plan on calling your representative:
Petitions are also another way to garner support and demand for change not just within Australia. You can most easily find petitions on change.org, and otherwise on social media or by googling. You can create your own petition too! It’s important to remember with petition templates, you need to personalise and edit it, otherwise people won’t read them or count them
When taking action in society, consider how we can build solidarity between different groups, because when we achieve that, communities become stronger as we learn from and support one another.
Since Europe’s invasion of Australia, grave injustices and genocide have and continue to be committed against First Nation’s people. Their right to self-determination, sovereignty, and status as the custodians of the land are all unrecognised.
Colonisation continues to cast a shadow over our society as paternalistic attitudes remain embedded within our institutions, and intergenerational trauma continues to impact many communities.
Experiencing racism does not exempt one from being a settler (people who are not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) that benefits from the system at the expense of First Nations communities.
The Black Lives Matter movement in Australia is recent, but its underlying ideas are not. The movement, triggered by the murder of George Floyd in the US, stands in solidarity with the oppression of Aboriginal people, and specifically deaths in custody. But its broader demands of the dismantling of racist systems have been advocated for decades, even centuries.
To be a good ally, it’s crucial to recognise that First Nations voices (not allies) must be centred.
A major issue is that Australia continues to presume to know what’s best for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders despite failing to reflect their preferences or demands.
Importantly, we also need to think outside of our mostly westernised framework of thinking. Since colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been forced to assimilate to Western cultural values. However, the remainder of us fail to consider First Nations cultural perspectives.
For example, Native Title rights, the ability of First Nations people to access traditional lands and waters without possession, can be difficult to understand. However, it is only when we shift our worldview and engage with the deep spiritual significance of the land that we can serve as First Nations Allies.
It is only then that, for example, we can understand why the destruction of traditional First Nations sites such as that by Rio Tinto was so traumatic and damaging.
How to be a good Indigenous Ally provides an overview in becoming a good ally, and we strongly recommend Pathtoequality.com.au.
Note that the best way to understand a culture is not to observe it from the fringes but to engage with it.
Listen to the voices of people and be sensitive to what is happening within the community.
Let Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people set the agenda; do not set it for them.
Raise awareness of the issues that they face by creating conversations beyond the classroom and within your own communities.
There’s a huge variety of issues addressed within the movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice, ranging from the disproportionate impact that the climate crisis can have on their community, to the way that high school history syllabi don’t sufficiently teach people about Blak history. Two prominent topics will be addressed here: the Uluru Statement From the Heart, and Transformative Justice.
In 2017, the Uluru Statement From the Heart was released - a document created by the First Nations National Constitutional Convention that served as a call out to all of Australia as to how we can move towards reconciliation. The Statement stands as “the most proportionately significant consultation process that has ever been undertaken with First Peoples”, and it provides three key recommendations:
Aside from outlining what meaningful reconciliation could look like, it also summarises the essence of sovereignty for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples: “This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished, and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown.”
Although the Statement’s recommendations haven’t been adopted, it’s worth knowing about it since it holds large significance in public debate.
When it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights, we often see people protesting the criminal justice system - including the police, prison, and courts. From a Settler perspective, it may be hard to understand as to why people are opposed to a system meant to protect people. However, this system can entrench the consequences of historically discriminatory policies and further marginalise First Nations communities. They continue to be overrepresented in prisons and continue to be the victims of an alarming number of deaths in custody. Many advocate for transformative justice as a solution.
It’s a political framework that seeks to respond to violence without creating more violence or engaging in harm reduction. It seeks to provide people who experience violence with immediate safety and long-term healing and reparations, while holding people who commit violence accountable by their communities.
Transformative Justice …
Additionally, while the oppressor is often seen as the enemy, transformative justice activists challenge this. They say no one is an enemy. Rather, everyone needs to be involved in a voluntary, safe, constructive, and critical dialogue about accountability, responsibility, and the initiative to heal. Transformative justice looks for the good in others while also acknowledging the complex systems that we all live within.
A person who has fled their own country and applied for protection as a refugee. Not every asylum seeker becomes a refugee, but every refugee starts out as an asylum seeker.
A person outside their own country who is unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
Some asylum seekers were granted Temporary Protection Visas which only lasted for three years and prevented them from travelling to see family or bringing their family to Australia to join them. This left some refugees, including unaccompanied children, separated from their family for years, and exposed severely traumatised people to further uncertainty.
Refugee Human Rights Protections Law
Ban Children being Kept in Detention
Immigration Detention Law
It’s great you want to act. And before some tangible actions you can take, one quick reminder! There is something important to keep in mind - centre the voices of people with lived experiences!
There are many freedom fighters, both detained and released who speak about their experiences. Amplifying these voices are important, whether on social media or in your conversations.
Read, watch, and listen from the resources provided in Read and Learn.
Get free training on how you can change attitudes to refugees in your community
Welcoming new neighbours, getting to know people in the community makes them feel welcome, making their difficult transition to Australia much easier
A possible initiative would be to get any students at your school to run The Refugee Challenge, and invite other schools to a refugee camp simulation that your school can run as a type of inter-school excursion. This ties in very nicely with any Stage 5 HSIE classes (in NSW) who are studying human rights or wellbeing.Invite a guest speaker to speak at your school. Hearing people’s lived experiences first hand can help break down barriers and build understanding.
A person outside their own country who is unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
Supporting/volunteering/donating to organisations that aid refugees or fight for refugee rights. When considering where to give money, think about whether the organisation is run by people with lived experience of seeking asylum, what kind of funding they currently receive, their track record of impact/transparency. Find a list of organisations here.
Where to find protests:
Refugee Action Collective (VIC, QLD)
Refugee Solidarity Meanjin Refugee Action Coalition (NSW)
Australian Refugee Action Network Event Calendar NSW Rallies and Vigils
Facebook, twitter, etc
Increasing the amount of multicultural texts and literature studied in NSW high schools is a powerful way to decolonise our thinking and adopt anti-racist attitudes.
Ask yourself how many times you've read a book in English that wasn't written by a 'dead white man'. Odds are, that number can be counted on one hand. The problem when the authors that are studied are just men, the perspectives they are able to represent are also limited to those of white characters, narratives, and concerns. Despite what can be the good intent of many white authors, the voices of people of colour can be excluded or wrongfully represented, silencing people of colour.
To correct for a lack of multicultural text studied, more texts that are studied or prescribed should be at least one of the following:
Increasing diversity in Language education in Australian high schools will reduce racial biases by increasing intercultural competence. In the 2019 Youth Parliament program, a mock bill was successfully legislated endorsing this.
Representing being free; knowing that you have a voice, that you can do whatever you want in this world. Give voice to what you know to be true and do not be afraid of being disliked or exiled. By doing this, you will make your world around you a more beautiful place.
- Jessica Clarke / @Muthi.Tidda
We need to see increased funding for diverse language education as there is a shortage of teachers to fund a nation-wide program. Since May 2014, a national curriculum for Foreign Language education has been created, but it is only designed up to Year 10, and there are no concrete plans to make it readily accessible for all.
Education about First Nations languages connected to the Country we are on should be a part of all school curriculums.
Send an email to your local MP
Use the following template to email your local representative about Foreign Language education. Remember to insert the relevant detail like their name and (optionally) your own. Petitions are 4 to 5 times more effective if they are personalised, so put in the effort to give your 'story' for why you want to see this change, and consider adding details like your postcode.
The Youth Parliament Bill: (relevant sections have been highlighted)
To: (Your MP’s Email Address)
Subject line: Increasing Foreign Language Education Funding
Hon (Insert name),
(Optional - My name is X). I wish to express my growing concern over the state and the nation’s lack of funding towards foreign language education.
Foreign language education is a critical component to our education as high school students - just as important as English or maths. Through learning foreign languages, students learn cultural competency which is increasingly important in a 21st century world. This also combats racism which we see far too often in our school communities. There are also countless numbers of economic benefits of being able to speak a foreign language in an increasingly globalised world.
Currently, however, there is a significant lack of funding towards foreign languages on both a state and a federal level. An increase would tackle the root cause, a shortage of qualified foreign language teachers in NSW. Funding towards foreign language education must increase. It is of absolute importance to us as high school students, and for future students to come.
Regards
(Optional to include name)
But this doesn't cover all of anti-racism - it's merely a beginning. Take your learning, and now use it to help build a society that treats people of colour equally.
