How to Support Black Lives Matter in Australia (and End Aboriginal Deaths in Custody)

Because this is not just an American issue.

It’s important to remember, now more than ever, that the Black Lives Matter movement—sparked by racial inequality, systemic injustice and police brutality in the United States, and inflamed by the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis—is not simply an American concern.

All over the world, these very same blights exist, and that includes Australia.

Protests have rocked multiple American cities for a week, following the release of smartphone footage capturing Floyd’s final moments. He was pinned to the pavement by a police officer with a knee to the neck, and was held there for nearly nine minutes. Despite his pleas that he couldn’t breathe, the officer did not move, and Floyd died. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Nonetheless, the regularity of these offences, the desire for change and the violent rhetoric of President Donald Trump have kept the protests aflame.

The boiling over of rage in the States made its way to Australia this week, beginning with a peaceful gathering of hundreds in Perth’s CBD, followed by a march down Sydney’s Macquarie St yesterday. (The latter was indeed aggravated by footage of police using force against an Indigenous teenager in Surry Hills on Monday.)

Large crowd gathered at #GeorgeFloyd solidarity protest in Perth, Western Australia - happening now #BlackLivesMatter #deathsincustody pic.twitter.com/GZhHDCLzjQ

— Aaron Fernandes (@az_journalist) June 1, 2020

At the Perth event, Aboriginal elders called out the names of Indigenous people who have died in custody. That includes David Dungay, an Aboriginal man who said "I can’t breathe" 12 times before dying while being restrained by five prison guards in NSW in 2015.

Down under, the deaths of Aboriginal people in similar circumstances to George Floyd (and others) have simply not earned the same media attention or yet incited the same level of public demonstration. However, there are more protests planned in most Australian capital cities this week. And though Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said, "there's no need to import things happening in other countries here to Australia," this might finally be the moment the local Black Lives Matter and Aboriginal Lives Matter campaigns earn a sustained local footing. Not a moment too late. It would come after more than 400 Aboriginal deaths in custody since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and zero police convictions for those deaths.

If you’re feeling frustrated and angry regarding the situation at home and abroad, it’s hard to know how to channel those feelings productively. Even the desire to demonstrate peacefully in public may be hampered by the reality that coronavirus continues to run rampant in many parts of the globe, and remains a threat here in Australia too, with social distancing still encouraged. But simply posting a message of solidarity—or a black square—on social media may not feel suitable enough either.

The ABC has a list of practical ways you can support the Aboriginal Lives Matter movement, including links that allow you to donate to the families and legal funds of David Dungay and two other Aboriginal people who died in police custody: Kumanjayi Walker and Tanya Day. They also reiterate that one of the best actions white Australians can take is to get educated on Australia’s true history. Part of that may include reading up on The Guardian’s "Deaths Inside" project, a database of the more than 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in police custody since 1991, or their special report on the historical massacres of Indigenous Australians.

There are also several petitions you can sign, such as Prevent Another Aboriginal Death in Custody and Reduce Indigenous Incarceration.

Other campaigns include the 'Free Her' Fundraiser, which helps to pay fines for many of the "single Aboriginal mothers [who] make up the majority of those in prison who do not have the capacity to pay", and Sisters Inside, which supports criminalised women and girls, and their children, both inside and outside prison.

On this Google Doc you can even find upcoming peaceful protests and key government contacts if you wish to have your voice heard (though if participating at a demonstration, heed the organisers’ request to please practice social distancing).

Header Image: NurPhoto via GettyImages