Black Lives Matter Rally in Newcastle 6th June 2020

I'm entering my final year of study before completing my degree in the Bachelor of Arts and History major.  While these last few months had most of us isolating due to the Covid-19 virus, other incidents around the world have shifted the focus away from this.  In the United States, on the 25th May, an African American named George Floyd was assailed by police.  The specifics of this case are Here, along other incidents of systemic Racism and why protests are more important right now than the virus.

Australia has, at best, a very questionable history concerning the Indigenous people.  I have been studying both Australian and Aboriginal history at length - at the University of Wollongong and Newcastle respectively - for the last four years.  To say that I have endured an emotional rollercoaster during this time is an understatement.  I thought I knew a fair bit about my country and was shocked to find that I actually knew very little.  What I have unearthed has been a punch in the guts - and I'm of European origins!  I couldn't even begin to imagine how it has felt to endure a 242 year history of vilification, racial abuse, dispossession, frontier violence, stolen children, just to name a few things in our shameful past.  What I also want to mention here is my lifelong affinity to and for the Indigenous people, as they are some of the most beautiful souls I've ever met.  They love this land; they care for and nurture it, as they do for their children and community. 

While I unashamedly have political beliefs as a centrist, I'm not an activist by nature.  Going to this rally two days ago really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  Isolation has pushed me to the point that I haven't wanted to be around people very much.  The course material I've studied has also made me feel brokenhearted and angry.  For the sake of my mental health, I've had to step back from the world's current plight.  Saturday was a different story.  I'm also a photographer, so I saw the value in documenting this rally.  Photo journalism plays an important role in history, so I hope to record this moment authentically.



Above all else, I stand with my black brothers and sisters by joining them and lending my voice to say enough is enough!  Some of the photos I've edited are here for viewing from the Newcastle march, starting off at Pacific Park.  While the group moved on to Civic Park, I didn't go there, as the crowd had gotten bigger and I was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic.  Nonetheless, what I saw was a peaceful, respectful demonstration, which was another reason I wanted to join.  I exercised my democratic rights to stand up and be counted against crimes committed towards the Aboriginal people by an insidious and hegemonic system of government.  I also do this as a legacy.  I have brought my children up to understand right from wrong and I want my grandchildren to also know what I stand up for.  I want them to grow up in a better place where social equality and justice prevails.

While I only have estimated numbers of protesters, around 5000 or more was likely and the biggest protest of this size in many years.  

I have no idea how significant protests like these are at this point in time.  It's safe to say that there are bigger concerns than the Covid-19 virus.  As I mentioned earlier, it was a bold step for me to attend a rally like this.  I'm glad that I was a part of it and that I have my own recording of this moment in history.  A big thanks to groups like FISTT for organising these rallies - even at the behest of the government and Supreme Court wanting to prohibit the Events.  People power has spoken and will continue to speak against injustice!

All photos are the property of White Wave's Photography and may not be used without permission by the owner.  I also wish to acknowledge the people of the Awakabal and Worimi nations, the traditional owners of where this rally took place.