We are feeling the passion and anger exemplified by Meyne Wyatt’s powerful monologue on Q&A on Monday June 8th, an excerpt from his 2019 play ‘City of Gold’. These feelings are shared across the country. Speaking Out is deeply saddened, not just by the racism in the U.S resulting in the murder of George Floyd but the gap that still exists between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people in this country. We stand in solidarity with people of colour across the world. There is no easy fix to the deep-seated issues that Australia and the world at large faces when it comes to racial bias. Listening to Indigenous people and their stories is a start. Speaking Out supports and encourages the telling and sharing of these stories.

Two of our speakers Nyadol Nyuon and Nakkiah Lui were on Q&A on June 8th along with Meyne Wyatt. Their message is loud and clear: the Black Lives Matter movement is nothing new, Aboriginal people have been fighting for their lives since colonisation. All that Aboriginal people want is equality. When politicians and other commentators claim that the issue is a U.S issue, not an Australian one, they deny the experience of Aboriginal people. Nyadol commented that “we might live in the same country but experience completely different realities.” Most people know the name of George Floyd, but how many non-Aboriginal Australians know the names of the more than 430 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1991? Comfortable white Australians are uncomfortable discussing racism in this country. This is our white fragility. Sitting with that discomfort, and offering deep listening, is one way forward.

Thomas Mayor, who wrote ‘Finding the Heart of the Nation’ and more recently the children’s edition ‘Finding Our Heart’, has recently joined our sister agency Booked Out to bring the message of the Uluru Statement to schools across the country. Thomas is also doing some speaking engagements for Speaking Out and has chosen to donate any speaking fees to the Uluru Statement campaign. Get in touch if you’d like to enquire about this.

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