Halfway around the world from Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States where African American man George Floyd was allegedly murdered at the hands of police, the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired an Ardmona teenager to start a conversation.
Tom Nethersole, 16, believes now is a poignant time in history for his generation to take notice of racism in Australia and to learn more about our indigenous history.
“We're taught about this stuff in school but I think the Black Lives Matter movement going on at the moment has really set in the fact that history is happening now,” he said.
“So, let's be on the right side of history, let's make change.”
With a passion for photography and videography, the Year 10 Goulburn Valley Grammar School student decided the best way he could start the conversation with his peers was by creating a video.
Particularly in a multi-cultural community like Greater Shepparton, Tom said it was crucial non-indigenous people educated themselves on issues of race.
“The first line in the video is: ‘You say it's not my culture, it's not my place’," he said.
“I think a lot of non-indigenous people like myself don't know what we can do to help, so I've reached out to other people to see what can be done.
“I think it's really important for non-indigenous people to use the white privilege that we ultimately have and our platforms to really express this.”
Tom said it was also important young people had a voice.
“It was really important for me to be the young person to kind of encourage other young people to share their views and how to inspire change despite our ages,” he said.
“Young people can't vote, there's not many ways for us to get our views out there — and obviously we're the generation coming up and I think there's a lot of power and a lot of influence that we have.”
Not my culture, not my place by Tom Nethersole
You say “it’s not my culture, it’s not my place”
But that does not stop you from defending the human race
As indigenous children were taken from their homes
We are still leaving these kids alone
Without fathers or mothers, without anyone to hold
Because we thought they needed to be told
How to live and how to act
Until we made a law, we made a pact
That said no discrimination, these people are citizens
But that did not stop us as we belittle them
Day in and day out for centuries at a time
We arrest them despite any crime
Racism is a problem
In Australia it’s present
As we lock up Aboriginal adolescents
For what? What did they do wrong?
Did they call you out when you called them King Kong?
It’s a nationwide problem that needs a nationwide solution
So, let’s not throw money at them, that’s not an institution
We need schools and hospitals in remote places
We need to rethink our view of all different races
We call it systematic racism; they call it hate
It’s an injustice they’ve felt since their birth date
Killed them, raped them, stole their identity,
Pushed them out of their homes and made them flee.
Whether you like it or not they are not a dying race
They are humans, they are people, wipe that look off your face
This is Australia, land of the indigenous
So, on behalf of them, please don’t imprison us.
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