Addicted to racism

There is an old saying that “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” and I think now is the time for Indigenous Australians to be setting local and national benchmarks that we can all set our sights to collectively achieve. Maybe the 1000ism proposal might be deemed a creditable enough agenda item for the National Indigenous Council to discuss at their first meeting in early December.

Where to from here?

Madonna Palmer should not have to grieve in silence over the loss of her army son to suicide because she is powerless. Dave Wharton’s family should not have to recoil in disgust every time they pass the Cunnamulla RSL club on reflection of the pall bearer debacle.

Indigenous people should not have to tolerate the pompous postulations of politicians and social commentators when condoning the actions of racists: A futile exercise in “defending the indefensible”.

I live in hope that true egalitarianism may yet be experienced in my lifetime and that the huge shadow of racism, hanging menacingly over our children’s heads as they cheerfully play in the schoolyards throughout the nation, is lifted forever. Racism, in all its ugly forms, should be condemned to the past along with the multitude of enthusiastic perpetrators who currently enjoy prominent positions in public office.

I respectfully remind Indigenous people of the need to be united in the fight against racism and to regain the fighting spirit of our ancestors by reading the reflective words of wisdom from Giulio Andreotte an Italian statesman and Prime Minister when he said Il potere logora chi non ce l’ha - which translated reads, “Power wears down the man who doesn’t have it”.