I’m not black, I’m WOC in Australia. I had a near meltdown on the street today after grocery shopping trying to navigate people on way home—it’s busy & I got overwhelmed reading the environment. At one point I had to walk so close to a wall to avoid a man & dog I scraped my leg. https://twitter.com/reginaa1981/status/1324865989062909953

90% of time others don’t see me or expect me to step aside (maybe also why I wear bright colours?? So they can see me coming??) but I told myself years ago I had to consciously take up space. Hold my ground. I have been abused for it by WW, it’s a lot to handle for just existing.

Sometimes I literally have to STOP in the middle of a path to avoid a collision. I will not step aside (unless it’s for an elderly person, less able bodied etc of course!!). I just refuse to make myself smaller & smaller to tiptoe around entitled privilege. I exist too. I belong.

I am home now & have to sit quietly to recollect my sense of self. If you’re a white person & reading this, know I’m just sharing my experience of everyday life as a WOC. & it is much worse for many people—intersectional experiences. I hope you take it in the right spirit.

Tbh I’m quite tired of my selfies here & it gets a lot tiresome to do it but if it helps others to see what an Australian poet or person can look like? Not white, blonde or blue-eyed? Then ok, I’ll keep doing it. I exist. People like me exist. We are here. We deserve recognition.

I always lose followers when I talk about race or racism. But you know what? I’m going to keep talking about it for as long as it exists. Bc you don’t get to cherry pick aspects of a culture or a person to enjoy. So many racists will eat dumplings, sushi, visit Japan, consume or

buy Aboriginal art, but turn around & vote for political parties that are absolutely disgusting in their stand to human rights & discrimination. So many people want to sell their products to the Chinese market, then be discriminatory around the Yellow Peril. Utter hypocrisy.

If I talk about racism a lot, it’s bc it’s not the flavour of the month for me, or many POC, or Aboriginal & Torres Straits Islanders. It’s a fact of EVERYDAY LIFE. Get that into your heads. Understand if you’re white, you cannot understand what this discrimination feels like.

You might experience other forms of discrimination, yes. But not racism as a POC or Indigenous person. This is basic knowledge around intersectional oppression.
But you can help change things. Listen to, CENTRE, amplify, support. Be a true ally. I still believe this is possible.

I don’t speak for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders ever, as I am not of that community. My pain as economic migrant of Asian descent to Australia is nowhere near what they have to deal with in Australia’s violent black history of genocide, land theft, & continued oppression.

If you are still of the ‘I don’t get political I just want to live my life’ category of person—understand this is privilege. Utter white privilege to have life & the world still work for you. By not choosing a ‘side’, you have chosen a side. At least do it with your eyes open.