No human being should fear for their life based on the colour of their skin.

When I was a boy, I went to school in a small country town. Whilst there we was taught how to read and write, add, subtract and divide, we were taught religious studies, art, music and geography. We sang songs and put on plays. Dressed up and baked cakes even.

We were taught the history of this country (Australia), how the great Captain James Cook sailed far across the oceans to discover this great nation. This vast incredible land, untouched and beautiful with all its hidden treasures. We were taught how the natives welcomed us onto their land, and thrived with the knowledge and skills to develop colonies and agriculture. We were taught that some were aggressive, and so they were imprisoned or killed for their wrong doing.

There was a boy at our school, a young aboriginal boy, his name was Julian. He was always in trouble. This one morning, I was running late. As I passed through the quadrangle, our principal was standing over him outside the staff room. Julian had his hand held out in front if him, palm up to the sky. I stopped, frozen in my tracks as I saw our principal strike Julian so hard across his palm. Julian winced and burst into tears, I then sprinted into my class, not saying a thing.

Out of breath my teacher assumed I was panting because I was late. My heart didn't stop racing for an eternity it felt. I was 6 years old and although I don't remember my childhood very well, I remember this vividly. I said nothing, I couldn't, I was scared that if I said anything that I too would be punished. I was silent.

Julian was the only aboriginal boy at my Catholic school, at least when I was that young. I don't know if any other students were hit during my time there with that principal. They left when I was only in 2nd grade. I heard an adult saying he wasn't a very nice man. I definitely agreed and I was petrified of him. Julian didn't stay either, he left around the same time if I am to be honest. I'm not sure why.

Now as a boy, I was taught the discovery of this great nation and the celebration of successes within that. I was not taught the oppression or injustice given to an entire race of humans nor had the access to discover this. As I got older, I learnt the ways of the world. I read encyclopaedias, mostly written by white men, and the more I ventured away from home the more and more I learnt about humanity, beauty and injustice.

Over the following years I travelled far across the globe and dined with many races and celebrated in their cultures. I learnt great appreciation in our differences as well as our similarities and developed a strong belief in the human race as one human race, not many different races.

However, just because that may have become my belief, that doesn't mean it's everyone's reality.

When I was a child, I was brought up by my parents to love everyone, and treat everyone as equal. I believe this to be right and just and that equality is a right for all to experience not a choice for others to decide on.

Unfortunately, this is just not the case.

I think back through my life and what I was taught versus what I learnt. There is much I should've been taught better, and today there is much for me to learn.

There is great injustice in this world. There is much pain and suffering at the hands of millions of people every single day. Equality is an idea that we table and it gets extinguished by the atrocities that fellow human beings hand out to others in this world almost every second.

How we treat others on a daily basis, how we call out injustice and speak up for those who have been silenced will move mountains on a road that could be so bright for so many.

2020 continues to bring change, I truly hope this is one change that gets made. Because if you believe all lives matter, then black lives, aboriginal lives and any life that exists on this planet that doesn't matter as much as yours needs to matter too.

I am a white Australian male, who since the day he was born, no matter how he was raised, no matter how he has treated others along his journey, has been privileged on many levels due to the fact that he is white.

I do not have the answers, I wish I could travel back in time to that 6 year old self and run up to Julian and hug him and tell him that it's going to be okay. That I have the power and no one will be able to hurt him ever again.

Unfortunately I can't, but what we do have now is the power of awareness, of education and of voice. There is no longer any excuse not to have the ability to educate ourselves. We have the power to call out this world for being unjust and make change greater than ever before.

No human being deserves to be afraid that their life could be taken from them based on the colour of their skin. No human beings life should be taken from them based on a society that has been built in a world where their lives matter less.

This is NOT OKAY!

Make a change, raise your voice, call out injustice, listen, learn and grow.

Much respect to all. 🖤🖤🖤