Black Lives Matter

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Unable to attend #BlackLivesMatter protests but want to find a way to support the movement take a look at the range of options compiled by Black Lives Matter Australia. I also recommend taking a look at a great article by By Wilhelmina Jenkins – Unseen: Black people living with ME

Image Credit: ABC News: Tim Swanston – Brisbane protest

#BlackLivesMatter in Australia

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following resources contain names and descriptions of people who have died. 

This resource was written on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung people of the Kulin Nation.

This list and draft letter is meant for Australians in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement who want to take action in Australia. If you don’t know what to do or how big Australia’s problem of policing and incarceration of Indigenous Australians is – this is what you need to know.

These resources do not replace or illustrate the experiences of individual Indigenous Australians and they are not meant to be. 

It is merely a starting place of understanding what issues face Indigenous Australians. Do your part by reading the resources mentioned below. I highlightEnd Black Deaths in Custodyand the Uluru Statement from the Heart because it’s the most recent and relevant resource that talks about the impact of policing on First Nations communities and the need for a First Nations voice to Parliament.

And if after reading all of that, you want to instigate change, send a letter/email to your MP demanding change (draft letter below). But educate yourself first.

Note: This resource is focused on information about Indigenous Australian issues. I have included links to other lists and resources focusing on the US below.

To share: bit.ly/BlackLivesMatterinAustralia

RESOURCE LINKS

Resources mentioned in social media post/draft letter

  • Deaths Inside database: tracking every known Indigenous death in custody in every jurisdiction from 2008 – 2019 by The Guardian

Petitions/Open Letters:

Government Resources: 

  • A guide to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Resources re: deaths in custody

Resources about Indigenous issues more generally

  • Podcast episode with Teela Reid about why and how the Australian Constitution must change to acknowledge Australian Indigenous peoples
  • Share Our Pride: Website by Reconciliation Australia, an interactive website giving you a perspective into the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Other resource lists focused on Indigenous Australians:

  • List about Indigenous platforms/businesses/organisations by It’s Not a Compliment
  • List about being an ally for Indigenous Australians by Mina McMahon

DONATE: Indigenous platforms/organisations 

  • Deadly Connections: an Aboriginal Community Led, Not For Profit Organisation that breaks the cycles of disadvantage and trauma to directly address the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the child protection and justice system/s.
  • ANTaR: a national advocacy organisation dedicated specifically to the rights – and overcoming the disadvantage – of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • Indigenous Social Justice Association Melbourne and Sydney: Aboriginal rights campaign group, especially in relation to deaths in custody.
  • Children’s Ground: Bringing reform for Aboriginal children on five platforms: learning, health, economic wellbeing, culture and community
  • Common Ground: Sharing First Nations cultures, histories and lived experiences. First Nations-led not for profit.
  • BlakBusiness (Instagram): Sharing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses + accessible info on topics relevant to mob
  • Black Rainbow: A national advocacy platform and touchpoint for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBQTI) peoples

Podcasts/Radio

  • AWAYE!: ABC RN podcast featuring stories and advocates about Indigenous Australian issues
  • Speaking Out: ABC RN podcast featuring Indigenous perspectives on politics, arts and culture hosted by Larissa Behrendt.
  • Let’s Talk on 98.9FM: A national Indigenous current affairs radio program and podcast based in Brisbane, featuring Indigenous journalists, elders, activists and academics.
  • Curtain the Podcast: A podcast digging deep into the pervasive flaws of the Australian justice system. Hosted by Amy McQuire and Martin Hodgson.

DONATE: If you want to support BLM in the US – donation links to bail funds and organisations here

Resources about anti-racism:

  • List of resources (US-centric)
  • List of anti-racism resources for Australian allies by Zoe Ranganathan
  • Article about recent pushes to change Victoria’s hate crime laws, The Age

Resources about policing/prisons:

  • List of resources/books/movies/articles

Note: If you would like a resource included, please email goodmorningpod@gmail.com or DM us at @goodmorning.pod (IG) or The Good Morning Podcast (FB page).

DRAFT LETTER/EMAIL TO YOUR LOCAL FEDERAL MP 

NOTES: Please fill in the information that is highlighted (find your local MP’s contact here) AND attach a pdf copy of the Uluru Statement of the Heart to your email

*Letter has since been edited on 6 June 2020 to update the newest campaign from Change The Record. Please focus this letter on your federal MP. Letters to State MPs can be found below.

Dr / Mrs / Mr / Hon { insert your MPs name here} MP

Member for {insert your electorate name here}

PO Box { number }

SUBURB  STATE  POSTCODE

Dear { insert your MP’s correct name here – including if they have Hon. In their prefix },

Re: AUSTRALIAN FIRST NATIONS RIGHTS & DEATHS IN CUSTODY

My name is {your name}, and I am a constituent in your Electorate of {insert your Electorate name here}, and an active voter in Federal and State Campaigns.

I am writing to you today as I need my position noted and recorded by your office on where I stand on First Nations Issues for our nation, so when you represent your constituents in Parliament on any First Nations issues, including voting on any legislation that affects First Nations rights, you in fact have a correct representation of where your constituents stand.

I am deeply concerned that Australian politicians, yourself included, are not taking the human rights of First Nations peoples in Australia seriously enough. This will be the policy I will be basing my vote on in 2022.

As of December 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners represented 29% of the total adult prisoner population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are also 7 times more likely than non-Indigenous people to be charged with a criminal offence and appear before the courts (Australian Law Reform Commission, 2018). The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples reported in 2017 that ‘the extraordinarily high rate of incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, including women and children, is a major human rights concern.’ (Tauli-Corpuz, 2017, p. 12). Additionally, there have been more than 400 deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (The Guardian, 2019).

This is not acceptable. I draw your attention to End Black Deaths in Custodywritten by Change The Record, which calls on the federal implementation of five recommendations to end deaths in custody.

I am deeply concerned about the current treatment of Indigenous Australians by the police and prisons. {as well as events/incarceration rate in my local community – if applicable, please do your own research viaThe Guardian Deaths Inside database orAustralian Bureau of Statistics}

I note that only Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory have begun the process of preparing treaty negotiations to promote the self-determination of First Nations peoples in Victoria. Self-determination of First Nations peoples is a right within the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (articles 3, 4 and 18). The lack of respect by the Federal Government and State Governments of First Nations rights to self-determination was recognised by the UN Special Rapporteur as alarming and contributory to aggravating the escalating incarceration of First Nations Peoples (Tauli-Corpuz, 2017, p. 7).

Therefore, I would like you to note the following statements:

  • I support all the recommendations within End Black Deaths in Custody.
  • I support the establishment of a federal First Nations Voice to Parliament that is constitutionally entrenched as per the Uluru Statement from the Heart (please see attached).

I would like to hear your position on these recommendations and how you will be voting on them. I trust as a Member of Parliament you are in fact doing your very best when it comes to representing us, your constituents, but I am asking as a voter, in 2020 for you to do better.

I look forward to receiving a reply from you on this matter.

Kind Regards,

{Your name here}

{Your address here}

{Your mobile here}

{Your email here}

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020. Corrective Services, Australia, December Quarter 2019. [Online] Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4512.0

Australian Law Reform Commission, 2018. Pathways to Justice – Inquiry Into the Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, s.l.: Australian Law Reform Commission.

Tauli-Corpuz, V., 2017. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples on her visit to Australia, s.l.: Human Rights Council.

The Guardian, 2019. Indigenous deaths in custody worsen in year of tracking by Deaths Inside project. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/23/indigenous-deaths-in-custody-worsen-over-year-of-tracking-by-deaths-inside-project

If you have sent Version 1 of the letter and would like to send an updated version to your Federal MP:

Dr / Mrs / Mr / Hon { insert your MPs name here} MP

Member for {insert your electorate name here}

PO Box { number }

SUBURB  STATE  POSTCODE

Dear { insert your MP’s correct name here – including if they have Hon. In their prefix },

Re: AUSTRALIAN FIRST NATIONS RIGHTS & DEATHS IN CUSTODY

My name is {your name}, and I am a constituent in your Electorate of {insert your Electorate name here}, and an active voter in Federal and State Campaigns.

I have previously emailed you regarding my concern about First Nations deaths in custody. I would like to further note that I support Change The Record’s recent call for the implementation of five recommendations to end deaths in custody. This is detailed in End Black Deaths in Custodywritten by Change The Record.

I would appreciate your support for these five recommendations. I would like you to call on the Prime Minister and National Cabinet to implement these recommendations as soon as possible.

I look forward to receiving a reply from you on this matter.

Kind Regards,

{Your name here}

{Your address here}

{Your mobile here}

{Your email here}

FOR VICTORIANS: LETTER TO PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS

Written by Indigenous Law Students and Lawyers Association of Victoria, Tarwirri. Sharing with permission from Mason Peter. Access here.

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