Economic freedom and the old school tie

Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little; May 19, 1925 - February 21, 1965), also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, former American Black Muslim minister and a one-time spokesman for the Nation of Islam once said: “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”

The robust militant times of the ’60s will be remembered for the great black orators that rose to prominence in the United States: Martin Luther King Jn., Rosa Parks, Jessie Jackson and Malcolm X; as well as those in Australia: Charles Perkins, Chicka Dixon, Doug Nichols and Cath Walker (Oodgeroo).

The common theme articulated by these remarkable personalities, especially the latter group, was the need for equality and freedom for their people. They didn’t just mean the right to vote and be counted in the census - but moreover sought a genuine commitment of preparedness on the part of non-Indigenous Australians to afford Indigenous Australians a “fair go” in their so-called land of “opportunity”.

I often marvel at the way in which mainstream Australians openly assist waves of immigrants - Italians and Greeks post-World War II; South-East Asians post-Vietnam War and in recent times thousands of refugees from the war torn Middle East and East Africa - with empathetic outstretched hands, yet steadfastly brush Indigenous Australians aside when we seek commensurate assistance for basic services.

However, and in light of the above observation, I do believe many of our mob are doing themselves a disservice by routinely singing the “poor bugger me” tune while proportioning blame to non-Indigenous people for their insufferably slow progress in gaining economic equality.

Have we been too quick in “spitting the dummy” when, at times, the going gets tough, instead of soldiering on and striving to overcome the obstacles deliberately and strategically laid out in our paths by uncaring civic leaders?

Many white social commentators and some of our upwardly mobile black success stories might argue that we are.

My attraction to this important communal disparity debate has seen me look more closely at the reasons why Indigenous people consistently achieve below par levels of economic success in this country. The term often used by social theorists in describing this observable fact is called social capital and contains the following components:

• bonding social capital (that is, links among people who are like one another), which is important for “getting by”;
• bridging social capital (that is, links among people who are unlike one another), which is crucial for “getting ahead”; and
• linking social capital (that is, vertical links to people in positions of authority), which plays a special role in development and poverty alleviation. (Woolcock, M 2004.)

Take for instance my Year 12 Marist Brothers College Ashgrove (Brisbane) Class of ’77 reunion held recently. During a memorable evening with about 70 former class mates I pondered the question why every member of my class recorded parallel stories of success as measured by: job security (steady prosperous vocation); asset security (investment portfolio, house and car); family security (happy, working wife and ambitious children at boarding school or university); and admirable leisure pursuits (favourite national and international holiday destinations).

Contrast that class with my Indigenous brothers and sisters from my Cunnamulla Junior State High School years who, in the main, are now living on welfare, working as labourers or have been lost to us many years prior through accidents or illness. Most of my Cunnamulla class mates would not have a superannuation fund, or a dual income stream. They wouldn’t own or have a mortgage on a house, or take national or international holidays.

The dissimilarity of the groups is considerable and at times it feels like they live diametrically opposite lifestyles - and in reality they probably do.

At the school reunion, which I initially tried desperately to get out of because it sounded too pretentious (middle-aged blokes reminiscing about their privileged formative years wasn’t exactly my cup of tea) but was persuaded collectively to attend by many sincere and well intended old friends, I got to answer the question “why?”.

Why is my Class of ’77 doing exceedingly well in life while my class mates through Cunnamulla Junior High School, in the main, continue to experience challenging times?

The social capital paradigm provided me with answers based on a group’s practical capacity to identify and maintain its complex network of associates operating directly and indirectly with them.

Bonding is often the category where most of my Cunnamulla class mates would get a tick because they have fairly close family links and enjoy relatively amiable relationships with people they know in their small community, especially in times of crisis: floods and drought.

Bridging is a little more difficult to achieve as many Indigenous people lose contact with many of their white class mates as they drift apart after school years while chasing different career paths: some inherit family businesses while others get the nod for scarce jobs in their small country town through family connections.

Linking is nearly impossible to gain a tick on, as many of my mob are looked upon by those in authority as not being a big vote issue (at election time) or are not seen as significant economic contributors to their “white” community.

I’m not sure whether my good fortune on occasions could be put down to the old school tie connections or simply a coincidence.

Take my only success in my domestic legal campaign over the E.S. “Nigger” Brown Stand as a case in point. My barrister was in my class of ’77 and the presiding Federal Court Judge was an Ashgrove old boy.

Then take the time I applied to get a home loan from the Commonwealth Bank and was approved on the spot and given special treatment - something that I just didn’t expect - and yes again the bank manager was an Ashgrove old boy.

There have been other notable instances of good fortune that I suspect have arisen through a connection with my old school tie.

At the reunion dinner, after the Past Students Eucharistic Celebration in the Chapel of Our Lady and St Marcellin, in the spectacular function centre overlooking The John Eales Oval, business cards were being handed out like confetti with offers of the best legal advice, stock market pointers, discounts on European cars and so on.

This socialising process of business card distribution is the raw ingredient that enhances ones chances of leap-frogging the field to achieve a goal; social or economic, with all active players knowing that favours gained through the old school tie connection will be reciprocated, when called upon, in the future.

The majority, if not all of the class of ’77 would be able to secure a tick against each of the social capital components; bonding, bridging and linking, as they perform the networking activity each day without consciously knowing they are doing so.

I am aware of networks of Indigenous people, connected through their common causes; land, legal, academic, public service and so on, that have assisted in advancing their member’s plight and that of other Indigenous people seeking a fair go. The degree to the success from such Indigenous networking activities is not fully known - or at least not by me.

Later next month I will get a chance to speak and hear of the successes of Indigenous leaders at the 2nd Annual Indigenous Leadership Forum in Brisbane. The theme for the conference is “Empowering the next generation of leaders to bring about social change, economic development and community independence”. Speakers at this conference (PDF 202KB) include Waverly Stanley, Founding Director Yalari; Professor Mary Ann Bin-Sallik, Charles Darwin University and member of the NIC; Peter King and Allan Murray, Unity Foundation; and Jacqui Katona, former CEO Lumbu, to mention a few.

A week later I’ll also get to meet another group of leaders and speak at a conference at the Queensland University of Technology. The title of the conference is Indigenous Economies Symposium with a theme that looks at “… ways Indigenous people are engaged or disengaged in the various economies that have emerged since colonisation”. Keynote speakers at the conference include Dr Maggi Walters, Dennis Jose, Professor Aileen Morton Robinson, Steve Larkin and possibly a book launch of Professor Martin Nakata’s latest publication.

I believe Indigenous people need to learn from and duplicate non-Indigenous peoples social and economic practices - that have brought them prosperity in today’s demanding times - while maintaining the richness of their traditional culture inherited from their ancestors.

I also believe a sound economic footing allows for peace of mind and a high degree of freedom from stress and anxiety.

It is through my literal interpretation of economic freedom in this article that I believe we can work towards addressing the concerns raised by Malcolm X in the ’60s: “You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.”