Say it with your whole chest
Welcome to STAUNCH. Blak thought, theory and analysis from so-called-Australia.
The Australian media has a long and storied history of using Blak words and ideas for its own agenda - one that is continually reestablishing the colony and continuing the violence on First Nations communities. As a Gamilaroi and Darug person I believe that First Nations people need to have access to our own platforms to explore, discuss and analyse the world from our perspectives.
We need to create these spaces for ourselves - run by us without input and oversight from non-Indigenous meddling. We shouldn’t be beholden to non-Indigenous editors, publications or organisations to allow us space to have these discussions. We shouldn’t be asking the occupiers for permission to share the thoughts and ideas that could spark a revolution. To that end, allow me to introduce you to STAUNCH. by Awesome Black.
To be Blak on this continent, in this current age, is to be inherently political. This is not a new statement. It has been said before.
I am a (youngish) First Nations (Gamilaroi/Darug) man. I would describe myself as fair skinned - I don’t necessarily have the visual identifiers that seem to bring violence from police and public. I grew up in what I would describe as a redneck area of south eastern QLD, that continues to maintain that there were no Aboriginal people living there when settlers arrived.
Where I grew up there weren't protests. Our numbers weren’t enough to make a difference. There was activism of a sort, whilst being a redneck space, it was also a space with many hippies. There was a lot of talk and I was exposed to political conversation on a community level and on a Blak level through my family. I would say that real protest and real activism was not something that I was exposed to until I moved to the city.
I have been a part of attempting to change things in all the usual ways - by attending protests to force change from the outside and by working from within the system. When it comes to protesting I have often wondered about the effectiveness of organised activism and have struggled to find the balance between spending time on talk rather than action. I have seen these movements come and go
-but, with each passing year, I experience a growing sense of frustration at the lack of change.
When it comes to operating inside the system, I’ve worked in cultural organisations as an arts administrator and strived for both personal achievement and attempted structural change. I want to be brutally honest; I feel like I made some steps but in the grand scheme of things I achieved little. A lot of what I achieved was helpful to a single First Nations artist or arts organisation. It didn’t flow on to great effect financially or culturally to First Nations communities.
I would not describe myself as someone who was radicalised over time; rather I have always had these views. My political view of the world has always been one of mixed hope and cynicism; I know that we suffer under an injustice that could change if only the people with the power to make that change would just do so.
I no longer believe that changing the system from within is possible and I grow ever frustrated by marching to the same, generations old, rallying cries. STAUNCH. is my way of exploring alternative methods of action.
In the least pretentious of ways, I am first and foremost a creative person - an artist, writer and poet. As I continue to grapple with my place in the protest movement, I have found my creative work an effective outlet for unpacking my personal political ideas and opinions. And as I have developed my own artistic practice and grown Awesome Black I have come to recognise the importance of my sphere of influence. We all have one, a network of people who are affected by our words and actions, and it's time for us to utilise this power. STAUNCH. is my weapon of choice; the perfect combination of playing to my strengths and exploiting the current systems.
STAUNCH. is something that I’ve been wanting for a long time, probably longer than I knew that the idea was there. STAUNCH. isn’t something I would ever have imagined existing in the society that I grew up in, at least it’s not something I was exposed to.
A space for First Nations people to have unfettered dialogue about our political ideologies. The ability to have these conversations freely, openly and without fear of recrimination or reprisal is the right of anyone living under democracy. But it is a right we rarely get to freely enjoy in the colony.
STAUNCH. is a vehicle for the free discussion of First Nations ideologies and a way to enact change. A space for Blak leaders and thinkers to promote their ideas and connect with communities in ways that will affect real change.
I worry that this space won’t be what I hope for. That it will fail because it doesn’t gather the financial support it needs or that people don’t believe in STAUNCH.as a concept. These are valid fears, but as much as my fears are valid, so too are my hopes.
In the interest of clarity and accountability, I will share with you what I hope for STAUNCH.
I hope for it to be a firebrand for moving theory into accessible and practical outcomes.
I hope for it to be a space where Blakfullas feel they can speak freely. With their whole chest.
I hope for STAUNCH. to fuel a manifesto of a Blak Political Model. That we can once more be fully independent of the ‘Australian’ settler state.
I hope to personally be a part of saying that we are here. That we have been here and that we always will.
And finally that this becomes a space that is obsolete, because we have changed the future.
In sharing these hopes openly I allow for both I and you to judge the ongoing success of this publication. They are the benchmark that I will be comparing myself against.
To say that I don’t have high hopes for STAUNCH. would be a lie. I have the feeling that this is a crucible for the big ideas by Blak people. I would like it to be a precursor to the continued rise of Blak political movements on this continent. I see STAUNCH. as a natural accompaniment to all the other modes of protest and activism - another post around which a community can grow and rally.