“The struggle with, and support for this man is also an act of sovereign power and responsibility. Sovereignty cannot be granted by the colonial state. Nor is it legislated (or not) in the courts or the parliament.” Behold Black freedom. https://indigenousx.com.au/silencing-victims-compounds-the-violence-of-racism/

As this conversation about Indigenous/African solidarity - Black solidarity - unfolds I have been thinking a lot about what it means to settle on stolen land & to benefit from the legacy of violence, even as elsewhere you may have been victimised by colonial violence.

It means thinking carefully about whether your voice needs to be heard. It means sitting down and keeping quiet. A lot. And showing up when necessary and doing so understanding that you aren’t a ‘better black’ - a thing institutions try to pretend is real.

It also means allowing yourself these joyous moments of recognition. Where you read something like this piece and are bowled over..

I’m always aware of the intellectual heft of Aboriginal academics, writers, activists etc. but some moments it really hits and makes it all the more shameful that the Australian media is so full of awful, superficial takes when there is all this brilliance to learn from.

Reminding us that racial superiority really is a fiction.