Emma Garlett: Ask yourself if you are an ally and if you are doing enough to support First Nations causes
Diversity strategy. Check. Multicultural team. Check. Cultural awareness training. Check.
But what does this all mean? Surely more than the pieces of paper they are written on.
Some professions see more exposure to First Nations peoples and communities than others.
But chances are with around one million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, you will have either worked with, know of or be friends with a First Nations person.
You have to decide — do I to ignore First Nations people or be an ally?
An ally is a person who actively supports reconciliation in its many forms between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Allies seek opportunities to amplify First Nations voices and seek information to learn from.
There's the many face-value acts of allyship that are great when beginning your reconciliation journey or to reignite the momentum — breakfasts, cultural events and discussions held especially during National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week are the most visible forms of engagement.
While I encourage everyone to attend these events for exposure to and celebration of culture, there is a pressing need to go deeper than the surface.
As an employee or an employer, inviting First Nations peoples to share their culture through training and workshops is a great first step to fostering understanding and seeing the world through a different perspective to foster a culturally safe environment for everyone.
Going beyond this, it is great to explore if your organisation has longer term plans to embed diversity, respect and contagious learning of First Nations peoples and culture. This could include the development and implementation of a Reconciliation Action Plan or a cultural audit to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
Another way is through opportunities for cultural recognition, like place-naming, language and arts in your home or workplace. If you've ever been across the Tasman to New Zealand, you'll see the amazing cultural celebration that has occurred, with Maori art, language and place-naming commonplace. Doing the same here in Australia would be a welcome step.
The better equipped you are to help, the better the future will be for our children and their children.
Supporting First Nations peoples is more than acknowledging atrocities and mistreatment — we are more than the sum total of a deficit discourse narrative.
NAIDOC week takes place next month, I challenge you to be better prepared than you were for National Reconciliation Week and bring about deeper change in either your personal or professional environments. Be open, be positive, be proud.
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