Hopeful optimism for reconciliation
Hopeful optimism for reconciliation
9 August 2022
The Salvation Army in Australia is firmly committed to a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Lucy Davis, Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator for The Salvation Army, says truth-telling is a key commitment of the reconciliation journey.
The Salvation Army in Australia is firmly committed to a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to “respect, value and acknowledge the unique histories and languages of the oldest surviving culture in the world, and to engage in a unified and positive relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities”.
“One of the key commitments of our current RAP is truth-telling,” says coordinator Lucy Davis. “We have committed to an ongoing journey of truth-telling in our movement, with the goal of healing, unity and seeking positive change.
“The Salvation Army acknowledges and accepts responsibility for the role we have played in setting up missions and running homes and institutions. We publicly acknowledge the ongoing impacts of scarred lives for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities to this day. But do we really understand what impact our history has had on the lives of First Nations people?
Disadvantaged communities
“I was yarning to a brother who lives in a community that we share history with. His home is well known for its disadvantage, its horrific suicide statistics, its lack of employment and the long-term impact of colonisation. With such devastating history, how does a community survive and continue to flourish and grow? This man looks to the future with ‘hopeful optimism’.”
“We live in a place that’s foreign to other Australians,” he tells Lucy, “and we have witnessed things that would traumatise the average Australian. We are as rough and tough as they made us to be, but we are a community of families who love and care for each other.
“When you grow up poor and see fights, domestic violence, rampant alcoholism and drug use, you become a product of your environment. It gets harder to see the generosity in people, and if someone is helping you, you look at it more like you’re a burden on people.
Cycle of violence
“We see so much negativity in this community in an average week – violence comes with the bottle. Little children witness fights on a daily basis and then grow up thinking that fighting is normal. It’s shocking to see the cycle of violence that repeats itself over and over again.
“In spite of that, our people had a big hand in aspects of working and building this state [Queensland]. Their stolen wages paid for most of the things westerners value most.
“And when our people lost their lives in colonial wars, we were told to forget. After we fought for the nation as young men and women, we were still disrespected, ridiculed, vilified, degraded and our service to Australia was pretty much forgotten by the masses.
Racist laws
“There are racist laws up here that target our people specifically and these laws are nowhere else – only in Aboriginal communities like the one I live in.
“The Alcohol Restrictions Laws [which apply in 19 indigenous communities in Queensland] have given our next generation of young people – who work and do the right thing – criminal records. Like most Australians, our young people who work might want to finish off their working week with a six pack but unlike other young Australians who live in the suburbs, they get pulled over, searched and then charged under Restricted Liquor Laws.
“No other community or suburb in Australia has these laws, and they’re ruining the lives of our people. Young adults, who without these alcohol restriction laws would not have a criminal record, have a permanent stain on their otherwise clean names.
Cultural upheaval
“However,” he continues, “I’m hopefully optimistic about our next generation. They’re growing up in this time of cultural upheaval where black empowerment and justice is only starting to bring about positive change. With the right motivation and drive we should see more of our people working in positions of influence – politicians, police and defence force personnel.
“It seems to me that the outside world think they know what’s best for my people, but there have been more than 120 years of solutions that never worked. How about giving our people a greater voice in solving our problems? Unity builds better communities.
“Our people have passed our knowledge down over tens of thousands of years. We have a rich oral history that has been spoken through the centuries. Our history lives on because we know how to speak to our people respectfully, with patience and understanding. It’s speaking with, not talking at.
Community and unity
“You can’t get community without unity. Change won’t come overnight but hopefully we will see a change for a better future. And that’s hopeful optimism.”
The words ‘hopeful optimism’ really resonate with Lucy. She comments: “Our Aboriginal brother is a man who many white Australians would probably never envisage could write so passionately and with such conviction. He is a fighter and one of best in his community, but he is also a father, an uncle, a son, a brother, and a proud Aboriginal man who sees hope in his future and in his community.
“As we conclude our first National Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan and look to how we can further our reconciliation journey, I have reflected – with hopeful optimism – not only on the many successes to date but also on the work that still needs to be done.”
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated today.
Comments
Strong Aboriginal Man That Wants Changes in He,s Community
"Our Aboriginal brother is a man who many WHITE Australians would probably never envisage COULD write so passionately and with such conviction." [Emphasis mine]
Right, because "white" Australians think so poorly or lowly of Aboriginals that when they can string words together to form eloquent sentences or are passionate about something we're surprised... /sarcasm. Give me a break! What the author, Lucy, said is incredibly racist and patronising. Fair enough if she thinks like that, but DON'T presume others share this mindset, particularly "white" Australians as opposed to Australians of any other ethnicity and especially not Salvationists!
I hope the Army doesn't have this "soft bigotry of low expectations" across the board as you'll do more harm than good.