Aboriginal Activism in 2020: The Black Lives Matter Movement

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was a global phenomenon enflamed by the unlawful killing of George Floyd in the United States. In Australia, the movement amplified the disproportionate incarceration rates of Aboriginal people compared to the non-Indigenous population and the ongoing high rates of Aboriginal deaths in custody.

The BLM also coincided with the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, where people across the globe were locked down and confined to their homes at various times throughout the year. The crises further exacerbated ongoing issues related to social justice and equal rights for minority communities, including Aboriginal people in Australia.

Below, Shannon Faulkhead, Maree Clarke and  Richard Frankland offer their thoughts on the trajectory of the early 1990s NAIDOC marches to the Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne/Naarm, on 6 June 2020.

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"I have mixed feelings about... the Black Lives Matter [protests] because... it's sort of all these people... protesting about it [now]. And it's been going on for generations..."

Shannon Faulkhead (9 December 2020)

"...the big march here in the city was... just humongous. It was pretty incredible."

"Oh like a thousand times bigger.... really [than NAIDOC marches]. Every little side street. As soon as you walked out of the station, bang you're in the march. That was it."

"Because... there were an awful lot of other cultures, not just... White fellas. There were a lot of Asian people there... huge amounts of non-Aboriginal people. But... lots of Blackfellas. From all over."

Maree Clarke (9 December 2020)

"I wrote a song many years ago called Malcolm Smith. And it was sung all over the world by different people. And during the Black Lives Matter, a New York resistance choir picked up the song and sung it. And they put in George Floyd's name and Sandra Bland, and it took off a bit. And now I'm translating that into language with an international choir from people who are all around the world."

Richard Frankland (18 December 2020)

As a field officer for the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1987-1991), Richard Frankland helped investigate the death of Malcolm Charles Smith (Paakantji/Ngiyampaa), an Aboriginal prisoner in a Sydney jail. 

To view a video of the Resistance Revival Choir covering Richard Frankland's song Malcolm Smith, please click here.

Aboriginal Activism in 2020: The Black Lives Matter Movement