ALWAYS WAS ALWAYS WILL BE

A recent article on Critical Race Theory was featured in The Sydney Morning Herald. Disregarding the unfortunate title, the article gave some explanation as to Critical Race Theory and the Australian perspective. Race matters for many of us is ever-present; for some it is simply an intellectual construction of ideas, or a production of knowledge that serves a function within an academic sense to discuss structural and systemic issues. For others, being racialised, othered and politicised is embedded deep into our bodies.

This week is NAIDOC Week (Always was, Always will be) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are still waiting for meaningful recognition and change in this country. The Australian Government today decided to vote down a motion to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag. We are still having the same conversations on Aboriginal deaths in custody, or whether our knowledge is valued within academic institutions. This may seem emotive, but this is not simply a scholarship, or a community of ideas. It is living and breathing and we need to work daily to change the narratives of othering we so regularly hear in this country.

It will be interesting to see what people think of the article. If interested, read here.

Thank you.