It seems like the world’s on fire at the moment, and it’s hard to see truth in some places.
Of course, you could say that that’s been the case for a very long time. Most of us have just not been looking in the right direction.
As the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd are continuing in the US, it’s hard to watch the pain and sadness boiling over, and to see the backlash from some who just want the Black community to shut up and play nice.
It’s tempting to give in to discomfort and turn the TV off. Flip over to YouTube or catch up TV for a bit of comedy to feel better. I have the privilege to do that. I don’t have to live this every day.
But I also have the responsibility to push past discomfort, or feelings of wanting to justify myself as a white person, and to look at what’s happening, and what I can do or change.
Firstly – Black Lives Matter.
It’s amazing that that seems to have to be explained or qualified to some. Nevertheless, it’s true. And please don’t come back with “All lives matter”. Of course they do. That’s taking away from the issue, and stems from being unwilling to engage with systemic racism and white privilege.
There’s an explanation going around that might help make it a bit clearer – if your house is on fire, it’s not going to help you if the fire department comes to your street and starts hosing down all the houses in the street before coming to yours. All the houses matter. It’s just that it’s yours that’s burning at this moment.
Secondly – White privilege exists, and I have a responsibility to look at my part in it.
What is white privilege? I’ll start with what it isn’t. It’s not saying that every white person’s life is easy, or we haven’t worked to get where we are or gone through terrible things in our lives. What it is, is simply acknowledging that having white skin confers an advantage from birth – most obviously we aren’t judged at first sight simply by our colour. There aren’t assumptions made on our character, lifestyle and whether we belong somewhere because of our skin.
I have two boys – one who is 21, the other 16. I have never had to have The Talk with them – the one where we discuss what they should do in the likely situation that they are pulled over by police. The one where we try to reduce the chances that they are detained or shot.
I have not been followed in a shop because I look suspicious.
I have not been judged to be lazy, morally deficient, drunk or on drugs, having criminal tendencies, threatening, or otherwise undesirable, on first sight.
I’m not likely to stand out much at all, in general society…
Lastly – There are many resources available to educate ourselves on the issues, and on what we can do. There’s also a lot of misinformation – there are people invested in continuing the status quo. It’s always worth checking sources before clicking on that share button…
Here’s some links (I’m not holding these out as the only or necessarily the best – just ones that seem helpful to me. Research for organisations in your area as well 🙂 )
Black Lives Matter
Anguish and Action
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
A Guide To Allyship
There are many others – have a look.
Remember the names of those killed just this year for being black, in the “wrong” place and time. Here are some of them.
George Floyd – died after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe.
Ahmaud Arbery – chased and gunned down by two men while he was jogging, because they considered he looked suspicious.
Breonna Taylor – shot eight times in her bed by police executing a “no knock” warrant, who forced their way in without announcing themselves.
As Australians, we shouldn’t be complacent, and there is work to do here, and prejudices to challenge.
More than 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody since the end of the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody in 1991. They each have their own stories, and their own names. Here are some –
David Dungay Junior – Killed in custody after refusing to stop eating a packet of biscuits. His last words were also “I can’t breathe”.
Kumanjayi Walker – Shot three times at his home at Yuendumu.
Tanya Day – Died in custody after falling asleep on a train and being taken in for “public drunkenness”.
Yes, there’s a lot to read, listen to and learn.
It’s time to do that.
Black communities have been trying to get our attention for decades, or centuries… don’t focus on the few that seem to be behaving in ways you might not deem to be appropriate. Look at what they’re trying to say.
To finish, here are some protest songs from the past.
Billie Holiday, singing about the horror of lynchings, in 1939.
Nina Simone, singing about stereotypes, and angry about murders in Mississippi and Alabama in 1964. It became an anthem during the Civil Rights Movement.
This year, 12 year old Keedron Bryant, voicing the frustrations and fears of many right now.
And really, in the end, this is what it all comes down to…
1000 Fields of Roses 