Staying Woke
If you were to combine the treatment of Native Americans and African Americans by the European “white man”, you would have a pretty accurate depiction of how the indigenous people of Australia were treated. As many of you may already know, said people are referred to as the Aboriginal population.
The term ‘Aboriginal’ means: “inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists; indigenous.” I learned this and a plethora of other stuff through my Australian History course and a recent trip I took to Stradbroke Island, home of many Aboriginal people who continue to maintain their cultural customs. Before I continue, let me break down what “staying woke” means for those of you who don’t know. It derives from the phrase “stay awake” which means to be aware of what the hell is happening around you both literally but more commonly in a cultural sense. It’s most recently used by the black community in exchange about the shit happening to our people, i.e. unlawful incarcerations and shootings of young black men and women by the cops. “You gotta stay woke about these cops out here! They ain’t playin’ games!”
Now that you have all that context, on to my point about “staying woke” even 10,000 miles away from home. For starters, let's examine my Australian History class. It consist of nearly all American students. Of that, only about three students are of color, and only about two are not American. Each week, we all pile into a beautiful lecture hall in another country with the expectation to “stay woke” about the culture of the indigenous population and their impact /sacrifice to create the beautiful country we all know and love….Australia. The beautiful Australia that is home to exotic animals, the Sydney Opera House, creation of WIfi, and so much more! But as I look around, what do I see? I see students who don’t give a damn about learning how their opportunity of being able to study here was created. I see that American football games are more important than soaking up every bit of knowledge about a culture “only” half way across the world. I see that practically no one was the slightest bit moved by the professor’s graphic depiction of the slaughtering of innocent people for “freedom” and “justice.” And the worst part….I even saw people asleep. When I say they ain’t woke. I really mean THEY AIN’T WOKE!
But here’s the hard but true pill to swallow...because so many of my peers in this class have yet to experience a racial disadvantage from being a person of color, I’m aware that it can be hard for them even began to understand the significance of knowing both sides of history. I assume that they simply don’t get it? They don't get why it’s relevant to know that by attempting to wipe out an entire culture, their everyday life as white Americans or Australians was built and thrived upon white privilege. Since they are not affected, they also are not compassionate. They’ve become numb. But who am I to say they are wrong or right?
Of course there are other factors to draw into consideration. It is study abroad after all….and like many of my classmates, a ‘C’ is all that’s needed to pass the course. So, when in Rome…
Also, many students may not be history fanatics or even had a long night before. No matter what the reason may be for such a disconnect between the topic, professor, and students, it confirmed for me the entire issue about talking about race. If one is not affected about the issue, the issue is much harder to conceptualize and draw compassion for. Therefore, before any conversation about race begins, there must be a conversation about people as human beings first. The same goes for global warming…religion...politics...drugs...and so much more.
So for me to leave my home where my brothers and sisters are being killed on the daily, I of course see how race can be a factor or influence in most things I do. It’s not me pulling the race card. It’s not you being racist. It’s being culturally competent and sensitive to those around you. Or in other terms….”staying woke.”
The pictures in this post are from a workshop done by an awesome guy named Matt who lives on Stradbroke Island. Matt is of Aboriginal descent and did a workshop with me and my cohort on customs and traditions such as hunting, dancing, and facepainting for his tribe, the Quandamooka tribe.