myridetofreedom-blog

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“There is no gain without struggle.”

Martin Luther King

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[myridetofreedom-blog]

This upheaval angered local white citizens and caused our confrontation with hundreds of furious people. It was very scary- some were yelling death threats, others calling us ‘stupid niggers’ and ‘black animals’. The most humiliating part was when they began to throw food at us, most commonly eggs. The police escorted us out of the town. 

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After being driven out of Walgett, my colleagues and I reached Moree. Here, again, we didn’t tolerate the racial discrimination which presided over the town, and decided to openly rebel. Today, the sun was blazing, so our leader, Charlie Perkins took this opportunity to bring a group of Indigenous children with him to the local pool. He deliberately entered a pool in which we have been banned since 1955 by a council by-law- ‘darkies not allowed in’.  

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"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

Martin Luther King

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Please, to our people, come support us- we need you now more than ever! We don’t want you to keep living in fear, in practically your own excrement! You do not deserve this, and neither do we. 

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Today, I, along with my friends from SAFA (Student Action for Aboriginals) arrived in the town of Walgett, NSW- our third stop for this Freedom Ride. Here, we enacted our first demonstration, as we barricaded the RSL club after being denied entry. We were shocked and deeply hurt- the owners are willing to lose customers and subsequent financial income, based on our ethnic appearance? During this time, locals attacked us with insults and harsh words, such as, “nigger” and “scum of the earth”- this is an exhibition of their true image, which is worse than our false one.  

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The appalling conditions our people are living in, and consequently suffering from must come to an abrupt end. Forced to live in dilapidated living quarters, we are not only segregated, but also treated as animals, trapped in cages. It is nothing but unfair (and unjustifiable) - being ostracised, abused, and denied access to public facilities that any White has right of entry to. The media must show this, the world must know- Australia is not as innocent as it seems, but rather, as brutal as the rest of the discriminating nations.  The social barrier between the Indigenous and Whites must be exposed, and subsequently, lessened. If it is not, however, our people must learn to be courageous and resist this public oppression, by taking ‘non-violent direct action’.