Racism is the cause of governmental policies that subvert Indigenous Australia. It is the cause of increased Indigenous incarceration and Indigenous deaths in custody. It is the cause of one-sided journalism in mainstream media. It is the cause of intergenerational trauma and high suicide rates for Indigenous Australia.
But this is not Indigenous Australia’s fault. It never has been.
The racism I have experienced throughout my life has been both various and odd; I have had to justify my work product as a young child because comments were made about my Aboriginality and that work product must have been completed or contributed to by someone else. I have had "friends" introduce me as "Abo" or belittle and denigrate other Aboriginal people in my presence, before attempting to assuage my obvious disgust by saying I was "one of the good ones". I have had people tell me I was "too sensitive" when I called them on their racism. I have had incidents in nightclubs where I was questioned about my race (because that is what you do when you’re out for fun) and, when I responded with "Aboriginal", a Monty Python skit melded with a Michael Jackson backwards moonwalk unfolded before me, in front of my eyes.
Perhaps even more concerning were the instances where I was told I was
"hot, for an Aboriginal."
When explaining my culture to a new person, I am often met with disbelief, followed by the questions of percentage without any contextual awareness that questioning percentages is one of the most offensive things to say to an Indigenous person. I have had people stare at me – really stare and slant their head, as if deep in thought – and then, after a while, come out and say:
“I can see it now, it’s your nose.”
Yes, because my nose is where I hold all of my Aboriginality.
These are just a few of the countless moments and memories all Indigenous Australians experience of racism and they all point to the truth: that racism is ever-present and the most racist people are the ones who deny it the loudest.