We stand for change and equality. And we stand with and support the Black community. We are saddened by the recent events of injustice - our hearts go out to the entire Black community. As we witness the footage in America across our newsfeed, issues of racism and prejudice against Indigenous Australians must be addressed in our own nation and across the globe. This week marks National Reconciliation Week in Australia, and this year’s theme #InThisTogether is more crucial than ever.

Racism is everyone’s problem and as Angela Y. Davis states: “it’s not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist”. This is an extremely powerful statement, particularly to those who have the drive, means and opportunity to speak up and speak out about the injustice not only to George Floyd and David Dungay but to all those who have been the victim of racism.

Learn

There are plenty of online resources, books and social media accounts that are there educating people on matters surrounding race and discrimination.

If you want to learn more about this movement, racism and inequality through the years, and why it’s important to be anti-racist rather than non-racist, here are a number of books you can read:

• Why I’m No Longer Speaking to White People about Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge‎
• The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla
• How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
• White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Here are some people you can follow on instagram:

• @blklivesmatter
• @colorofchange
• @theconsciouskid
• @munroebergdorf
• @ibramxk
• @shiftingtheculture
• @werepjustice
• @blackvisionscollective
• @galdemzine
• @mattmcgorry

Sign Petitions

By doing this you can put your name to this cause. There are plenty of petitions each with different aims but here are some of the ones gaining the most traction, that you can easily sign in a matter of minutes.

• Justice for George Floyd petition
• Justice for Belly Mujinga
• Justice for Breonna Taylor

Support Social Justice Organisations

We’ve listed below some organisations you can support in the US and Australia that work towards racial justice. Donations towards these organisations will help fund their work in supporting Black and Indigenous Australian communities.

US Organisations

The Bail Project – a non-profit reducing incarceration rates

Black Visions Collective – a social justice organisation based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where George Floyd was killed

Reclaim the Block – an organisation focused on community-led safety initiatives

Minnesota Freedom Fund – an organisation fighting Minnesota’s bail system

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund – a fund to help cover George Floyd’s funeral and support his family as they move through court proceedings

NAACP Legal Defense Fund – a law firm fighting for racial justice

Australian Organisations supporting Indigenous Australians

Justice for David Dungay fund– a fund to support the family of David Dungay Junior, an Aboriginal man who died in a Sydney jail in a similar way to George Floyd

FreeHer – a fund used to pay off fines and warrants in Western Australia and free Aboriginal people from prison

Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance (WAR) – a youth collective fighting for Aboriginal rights

Grandmothers Against Removals – an organisation advocating against the forced removal of First Nations children from their families

National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Women’s Alliance – an organisation that empowers and advocates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in Australia

Have conversations, even if it’s difficult

One way to help the cause is to educate the people around you like family members or friends who are not on social media or do not have access to the information you do. This can be done by sending them resources you have found helpful or just opening up discussions around this cause.

It is also important to speak out against racism. Calling out racist behaviour, even amongst those closest to you, can feel daunting but these small steps are what make the biggest difference.

Try

You may be worried about speaking out to express your views - knowing what to say and the best forum for it. However, it’s important that you can support something that you feel strongly about. There are many outlets available for you to support the Black Lives Matter movement and other movements aimed at tackling racism and injustice based on race.

If you feel worried about saying the wrong thing, just know it is better to have tried than to have done nothing at all.

Register to vote

We have much work to do in our own nation and it’s important to elect leaders who have the power to create systematic change.

If you’re eligible to vote and not yet registered, now is the time to register