Raising money for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders.
A massive THANK YOU to everyone who bought something, shared and liked my sale.
Together we raised $1270!
That means $635 for OzHarvest, and $635 for ANTaR.
I chose these two charities as I was already supporting OzHarvest after the Pandemic began. I wanted to help those who don't have the funds to provide adequate healthy meals for their family.
Then after the death of George Floyd, I realised I am complacent in not doing enough to fight for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
OzHarvest can provide 1270 meals for those who are struggling during the Pandemic thanks to your donations. OzHarvest are saving food that would have other wise gone into landfill to make these meals. They have seen a big surge in demand since the Pandemic hit and are working with many local charities to help redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste to much needed places. Wonderful work!
ANTaR has been working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and leaders on rights and reconciliation issues since 1997.
Their mission statement is:
"To engage, educate and mobilise a broad community movement to advocate for justice, rights and respect for Australia's First Peoples."
There are so many issues and injustices, here are a few ANTaR helps advocate for:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are now 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous people. Currently, First Nations Peoples represent more than 1 in 4 people in prison.
You can sign the pledge to show your support and continue to help build awareness and momentum for change.
Reconciliation is a process where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, non-Indigenous Australians and Australian governments forge a new relationship based on mutual understanding, recognition and respect.
Between 1910 to 1970, when removal of Aboriginal children from their families was at its peak, between 10 and 30 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were forcibly removed from their families and communities.
In 2006 ANTaR along with others responded to Dr Tom Calma's rallying call to close the life expectancy gap and launched the Close the Gap Campaign for health equality. In 2018 there remains much work to be done.
Bla(c)k Lives Matter
I have lived in Australia since 2008 (with time overseas in-between) and been an Australian citizen since 2010 but I had never really taken the time to learn the history. I am finally taking the opportunity to do so.
There are so many lists and recommendations available currently, it is a wealth of information.
As my starting point, I have watched First Australians on SBS which I highly recommend if you haven't already watched it. The numbers of Aboriginals that were originally in Australia - 350,000 -600,000 which over a few years of European settlement dwindled to 60,000. Absolutely shocking. The loss of culture and knowledge, then the further loss and trauma though the stolen generation is a very awful situation.
There were a couple of books I saw recommended again and again. These have been my starting point.
Welcome to Country by Marcia Langton
This has been a brilliant overview for me of starting points to continue to learn about and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders.
Learning about Dreamtime stories that tell of the time when the seas rose (7000 years ago) just blew my mind. The oral history and knowledge is something the whole of Australia and the world needs to learn from.
Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe (I got it for the kids but it was an education for me!)
Dark Emu is the adult version
These piece together a truer history, not through the viewpoint of the Colonial settlers.