How to be an anti-racism ally

Nolan Hunter

If you embark on a quest for truth, there are many things in present-day Australia to know about with Aboriginal people, who want you to walk with us.

I am a Bardi Jawi/Yawuru man Garriyoon Umbrinje (Saltwater People) West Kimberley WA.
My mother was born under a tree in the bush not far inland from the coast up a dirt road 200km north of Broome, a historic pearling town. In earlier years the practice of blackbirding (Aboriginal people kidnapped to dive for pearls) or slavery as it is now known was indicative of the practice for Kimberly Aboriginal people where other things happened with the coming of the Cattle industry, another form of slave labour had started.

Injustice permeated down through a system of denial of rights which saw my family and relatives in those early years being sent to Missions, native reserves, and in the case of my mother’s siblings, being sent to the Orphanage. Sad and bad things happened to Kimberley kids in those institutions and the systemic abuse inflicted on children by the people sent to control us.

The forcible removal of children, torn from their mothers’ arms (the stolen generation) was in full swing in the Kimberley in those early days. My family was one of the first to be placed on the edge of the marsh in Derby 220km West from Broome on the native welfare government reserve. We were at the whim of the native welfare Act and the remnants of the White Australia policy. I was about four years old.

It wasn’t enough to have all this happen to us, the message drummed into my people’s head and we were made to feel worthless or somehow made to feel inferior.

In this present-day Australia, if you have children, it is normal to believe they are safe because you are their parents and have their protection. But for Aboriginal children, they are being thrown in jail as young as ten years old because the laws of this country say it is acceptable.

In this present-day Australia, it is legal to kill Aboriginal people in custody or in police detention because there are no consequences at law.

All too often there are many stories of the treatment of Aboriginal people from the legacy of the past and into current day Australia. It is important to understand, healing can only come with the truth. It is sometimes difficult to be confronted with what people may not want to hear, but we cannot deal with a problem if we don’t acknowledge it in truth.

If you embark on a quest for truth, there are many things in present-day Australia to know about with Aboriginal people, who want you to walk with us.

Maggie Munn

The uncomfortable truth is that at one point or another, we’ve all been a little bit racist. So, how do we come to terms with that and make sure we’re not doing it again?

Chances are you’ve had an experience with racism and you want to challenge it, call it out, avoid it in future and encourage others to do the same. The uncomfortable truth is that at one point or another, we’ve all been a little bit racist. So, how do we come to terms with that and make sure we’re not doing it again? The key here is really to think critically about what sort of online and print media, entertainment, and political dialogue we consume and what impact that is having on our interactions. 

Think for example the impact that comedy sketches like Summer Heights High have had. Most people I know who watched Jonah’s antics thought he was hilarious and went on to quote his lines in their day-to-day, but what wasn’t discussed is how detrimental and offensive that character was to Polynesian communities. Racism is often disguised very subtly through comedy and tactics like blackface have been employed to make a mockery of black and brown folk and play into negative stereotypes or misconceptions. 

When we consume entertainment, dialogue and media that is covertly racist and don’t challenge it, we become a part of the problem. What we accept in our media and entertainment quickly starts to become what we accept in our interactions and our politics, it’s a slippery slope. 

It’s our duty as global citizens to make sure we are upholding and uplifting the human rights of everyone in our communities, and everybody has the right to live a life free from racism and discrimination. It’s time for us all to educate ourselves, show up and speak out against racism in all its forms.

Shankar Kasynathan

Allyship can take different shapes and sizes and being an active ally is better, than not being an ally at all.

Telling a friend or a family member that they are being racist, can be a very easy thing to do or it can also be a very challenging thing to do. It all depends on the situation.

It can be challenging if it involves speaking up publicly when you know your voice might be isolated and you don’t know how you will be responded to.

This can also make it very hard to know how to begin. How do you enter a conversation? With what words? With what tone?

One night I was sitting in the taxi being driven home from the airport and the taxi driver started talking to me about his view on First Nations People. He proceeded to share with me his views on what he thought about First Nations communities.

I knew that I still had another 30 minutes in the car with him. It could have been easy for me to just ignore him, and either change the topic or make a phone call and just stop talking to him completely.

Another option was for me to begin by sharing with him the fact that I had spent a lot of time working with aboriginal communities and my experiences with our first nation communities. Once I set the scene, I proceeded to help him understand how his views were not only ignorant but also hurtful and racist.

In that taxi, I decided to speak out immediately. But speaking out as an ally doesn’t always have to happen in the moment.

There was a time when in a public setting, a stranger said something that isolated me from everyone else on the basis of my skin colour. A young friend there with me didn’t say anything at the time. But asked me later if I was OK. He didn’t ignore the fact that it happened. He may not have spoken up at the time, but he wanted to see if he could offer me emotional support. He listened, he created a space for me to feel supported even if he couldn’t support me at that very moment. This recognises that allyship can take different shapes and sizes and being an active ally is better, than not being an ally at all.

Aleysha Shafique

No matter what is said about your skin colour, where you come from or your family name, I want you to know that you are perfect the way that you are.

My name is Aleysha Shafique. I am English and Pakistani and I know how it feels to be called racist names at school. I know how it feels to be made fun of, to be left out, to be hit by other kids. I know it hurts and I know it’s scary.

We all have different hair colours, different eye colours, different skin colours and unique family names. Our world is made up of these amazing differences and should be celebrated.

No matter what is said about your skin colour, where you come from or your family name, I want you to know that you are perfect the way that you are.

When I experienced racism at school my parents told me I was worthy and loved. They told me my worth wasn’t determined by unkind words. These are the words that have stayed with me and helped me to take a stand against racism as an adult.

• You are deserving of love and you deserve to be accepted for who you are.
• Talk to teachers about racism in the classroom – ask them what anti-racism books will be included in the reading curriculum
• Share anti-racism resources with the school and with other families
• Encourage diverse friendship groups among children
• Tell your kids that they have the right to speak up about racism – it’s not something they have to tolerate

Frances Lee

We can’t help what we’ve already learned. But we do have the power to challenge our assumptions, seek out other perspectives and learn to do better.

When we see examples of racism on the news – screamed racist slurs on the bus, punches thrown at an innocent passerby – we know that could never be us. But there are so many harmful stereotypes and jokes that we grow up with, that we absorb as normal. Too often, we can be too quick to dismiss racism or minimise the harm.

As an Australian with Korean heritage, I’ve lost count of the number of times people shouted random Asian language greetings at me. I’ve lost count of the times people asked “where are you from, no really but where?” I’ve watched people who look like me featured on the news as job stealers and invaders.

Everyone’s experience of racism is different. You might think that the stories I’ve shared aren’t too bad – they’re mostly just words after all. It’s tempting to rationalise it – we all want to believe the best in people, after all. The person sitting next to me on the train asking “where are you from” probably wasn’t meaning to be racist, they were simply curious and making conversation.

I agree! But I can also share with you how it felt growing up with those words. It sucks to feel like an outsider in the only place you’ve known as home, to feel ashamed or embarrassed of your family and culture. I’m 28 now, and I feel so sad that I rejected Korean lessons as a kid because I thought it was a waste of time. I wonder how that made my parents feel. When someone asks me where I’m from, they might be curious. But I feel those things all over again.

What happens when we let these words go unchallenged? What are the consequences when we let negative stereotypes seep into our culture? What other acts of racism become acceptable and how might they escalate? What racist policies and laws remain unquestioned?

If reading this hits too close to home, think of it as an opportunity to learn and grow. We can’t help what we’ve already learned. But we do have the power to challenge our assumptions, seek out other perspectives and learn to do better.

Chamira Gamage

I remember being called a ‘curry muncher’ by some kids at school, which at the time was tough as it reduced you to a single identifier or stereotype that was attributed to your skin colour, let alone race.

I grew up in a small country town called Armidale in NSW, where at the time I was one of the very few people whose family had a migrant background. The majority of people were white, with a small Indigenous population.

I always knew I was different, but I was also afforded opportunities and had unrestricted access to many aspects of everyday life. I did experience racism in its more overt forms as I got older, particularly as a teenager. I do remember comments such as being called a ‘curry muncher’ by some kids at school, which at the time was tough as it reduced you to a single identifier or stereotype that was attributed to your skin colour, let alone race (as I barely ate curry!). I do remember the whole group of people that heard the comment, however, band together and chase after the kids that made the comments and one boy, in particular, was known as ‘the racist kid’ from that day on. Whether that was the best way to respond is another question, but it showed an awareness, in the early 2000s in country NSW that it wasn’t acceptable behaviour.

I also remember jokes kids who were as young as 8 or 9 used to make about Indigenous kids, which I realised were jokes about skin colour and applicable to myself or anyone else of darker complexion. I was confused at these jokes and noticed that kids would have learned these from their seniors.

The advice that I would give to anyone looking to diffuse these behaviours or comments is also not to bite back aggressively as such but to stop the arrow in its tracks by dodging it, as if it hasn’t got any sting in the first place and then addressing why this person would say such a thing, in a calm manner if possible. Automatically, human nature can sense that one person has crossed the line and projected their own insecurities stemming from what could be a variety of reasons. Their words haven’t got power and they will remember that.
Speak to the person, tailor your message so it hits them. It will vary depending on who it is. Bring it back to humanity. ‘C’mon man, imagine if you had to go through that. Imagine if you had to flee a worn-torn country, it’s not as if you want to but you were forced to?’

Maneesha Todd

From one imperfect ally to another – accept that you will make mistakes and that’s okay. The perfect ally doesn’t exist. The important thing is to keep listening, learning and growing.

I’m a quarter Chinese. My Nan on my Dad’s side is what she calls an ‘ABC’: Australian-born Chinese. Originally from the Shantou region of China, my great grandparents migrated to Australia in search of a better life in the 1920s.

I look very different from my extended Chen family. My Asian heritage has all but been erased from my appearance. Growing up, I was always proud of my Chinese roots. I could sing a few different songs and recite prayers in my family’s dialect, and enjoyed explaining to curious friends the ‘different’ foods I ate from the local Chinese grocer.

I understand now that it was easy for me to be proud because I didn’t have to face any of the negative consequences, because I don’t look Asian. I’ve never been told to go back to where I come from, or spoken down to as if I don’t understand, like my Nan did even though she was born in Sydney. I’ve never been asked ‘where do you come from?’ or been called awful racial insults, like my Dad did growing up. I get to enjoy all the privileges of looking white, and pick and choose the parts of my family’s Chinese cultural heritage I want to embrace. Although I wish I had a stronger connection to my Chinese background, I am incredibly privileged to have never experienced racism firsthand. Many others are not so lucky.

Because of my family’s background, I take racism personally. So when I hear that since the pandemic started, 8 in 10 Asian-Australians have experienced racial discrimination, it is heartbreaking. Even my younger sister was bullied and harassed at school for supposedly having COVID-19. If that was her experience, with her auburn hair and freckles, I can’t even imagine what other Chinese people or other people with East-Asian appearance are going through. Hearing stories of racism – like those shared on this page – makes me sad, angry and motivates me to be part of the solution, not the problem.

As allies, we need to take the time to honestly reflect on our own experiences and recognise how life may have been different if we looked a different way. We need to take the time and reflect on how we may be contributing to the problem, even if we don’t mean to.

Growing up, I didn’t think of myself as an ‘anti-racism ally’ – but I knew that I wanted to stick up for my family and for others like them – immigrants, people with a migrant background, people of colour who are different to the white norm. I’ve made mistakes and learned so much along the way, and I know I will continue to learn and grow. I aim to always do my best to live by my values of equality and justice for all.

It is easy to espouse these values, but as I have learnt, in practice it can be difficult to challenge others, speak out, and unpack our own deep-seeded racial biases. Sometimes it can be awkward, uncomfortable, and people can judge you. But challenging racism – in our institutions, our culture, and in ourselves – is always worth it. That is how change is made and how we can work toward a world where everyone’s human dignity is respected.

Being an ally means really listening to people of colour and people who have experienced racism, and doing our best to empathise even though we will never truly understand what it’s like to walk in another’s shoes.
Decentralise yourself (don’t make it about you!), whilst taking responsibility for what is in your control; be accountable for your own actions, behaviour and learning.

From one imperfect ally to another – accept that you will make mistakes and that’s okay. The perfect ally doesn’t exist. The important thing is to keep listening, learning and growing.

Thank you for being on this journey to challenge racism and injustice in all its forms. As a descendent of Chinese immigrants who faced racism in this country for decades, and as a fellow anti-racism ally, it means a lot to have you standing with us in the fight for justice and equality for all.

Amanda Chong

How would it look if atrocities and injustices happened and nobody showed up and nobody took action. How would it feel for those affected communities, what message does it send to perpetrators of that violence and injustice?

It’s important to participate in coordinated efforts and campaigns, it’s important to keep showing up for protests and speaking to our friends and family and signing petitions and calling our MPs, because how would it look if atrocities and injustices happened and nobody showed up and nobody took action. How would it feel for those affected communities, what message does it send to perpetrators of that violence and injustice?

For marginalised communities, injustice, violence, repression and discrimination are everyday facts of life – they can be always around the corner. By showing up when marginalised communities call for support it is a reminder that there are thousands who stand against this injustice and this violence, who want to push back against it and who want to see a world where everyone can feel safe and supported and empowered. It’s an important and warming antidote to that persistent feeling of disempowerment, fear and discrimination.

Remember to remind yourself consistently about when a space isn’t about you or for you. In the same way that you would be there to support a good friend going through a hard time, while making sure that the support you are giving isn’t making you the centre of the story.