I don’t even know where to begin with this piece.
I want to write about the ‘Tackling Racism Together’ event that I attended on Sunday. And it would be great if I could just write about it from a more “neutral” perspective. But it’s now two days later…and I’m still feeling triggered.
So I’m going to be super honest.
The event itself was brilliant.
It was an opportunity to speak about how we deal with racism in Australia without focusing on one particular group. We had mayors and councillors as well as representatives from different organisations.
There were speeches as well as panels.
Ideally I would have liked to hear more about how dangerous the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) framework is and for there to be more said about the toxic CAM (Combat Antisemitism Movement) conference coming up later this month in Sydney. But all in all…it was fantastic and I really hope that those who attended came away with a better understanding of the (terribly named, but really good) NARF (National Anti Racism Framework) that was set up by the Human Rights Commission and totally ignored by the government.
(How is it that the IHRA has been rolled out to every corner of Australian institutions and schools in record speed and NARF is sitting on a shelf somewhere in Canberra collecting dust?)
Anyways - the whole point of the conference on Sunday was to highlight that we need to tackle racism TOGETHER instead of focusing on one group in particular. Which is just basic common sense and rational thinking.
But then…ugh… when one of the presenters read out a list of everyone who was presenting later in the day (and it really was an impressive list)…applause started when Sarah Schwartz from the Jewish Council was read out. I initially didn’t want to mention her name because obviously it’s not her fault that people started clapping. But then it felt strange to try to be anonymous about it. But my point isn’t that it was her specifically…
But that the only person on the list who received special applause…was the Jewish speaker.
Like, what??
Once again it felt as if the Jewish voice has more currency and is appreciated more than other voices. And let’s be very very VERY clear…when we are talking about racism…Jewish voices are really not the ones that need to be amplified. Systematic racism within Australia does not include the Jewish community. We don’t miss out on jobs and grants because we are Jewish. If anything, we are privileged.
So yes, I felt so incredibly uncomfortable about the applause and it really is a modern day miracle that I didn’t stand up on my chair and yell out:
Bloody hell! Even in this space we show favourites????
But no, I managed to stay quiet and wait until I could get my aggro out here on Substack.
Funny thing is that I have asked a couple of people if they noticed the applause and one said they were so angry about it and the other said that they were shocked and closed their eyes so they couldn’t see who the culprits were. The other person I asked didn’t even notice the applause. Which makes sense because they are more newer to the scene.
But yes, it was infuriating.
And on the topic of racism, I’m going to add a little moment I had last night.
Because it really moved me and I feel it needs to be acknowledged.
I went along to speak at a fundraiser event for Dragonfly Cafe who were hosting a poetry/music evening.
And someone who wasn’t on the flyer asked if she could read out her poem.
Titled: Where are you from?
I immediately had a physical reaction because it’s something I really struggle with being asked. But hearing this young woman say it…landed so uncomfortably…because she is a woman of colour.
So of course when she is asked the question, it’s loaded. While when I get asked, it’s because the person is curious about my weird accent.
This young woman gets asked ALL THE TIME where she is from, but as she explained in her poem, she’s lived in Australia for her whole life, except for the few weeks after being born in a country her parents escaped to and didn’t belong in.
All I could think when I heard her slowly and nervously read out her brilliant poem is how much I wish that she could have shared it at the conference I had attended the day before.
This young woman experiences racism in a way that most people will never understand and it’s honestly just so embarrassing for me that the Jewish community dare to whinge about antisemitism in Australia.
So yeah, this morning I recorded this, just to get the frustration out of my system:
I’m curious how all this lands for you.
-Veronica
Thanks for your reflections of the workshop on racism.
I have two comments to make. Although I wasn’t there, I was wondering if the reason for Sarah receiving applause is because people were responding to the fact that a Jewish person is standing in opposition to Zionism and the IHRA definition and supporting the other narrative. The other narrative being, that we need to look at all forms of racism.
Anyway, just a thought.
Regarding the African woman always being asked “where are you from” or you must feel lucky to be in Australia. I’m so familiar with that, obviously not myself but through comments made to my former partner of 35 years who was born in Somalia.
One day when his son, who was born in Australia with a Somali mother, was travelling on a tram and someone asked where he was from, he said “ I’m from Flemington”. He was aged around 6 at the time.
You gotta love the honesty and innocence of children. 😊
I am so genuinely curious about people's culture and it sits terribly with me that my curiosity might cause discomfort. I prefer to ask, "if I may, what is your cultural heritage because I love to hear people's stories". But I realise that can sound awkward as well.