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Read Baker Boy's powerful statement addressing Black Lives Matter

3 June 2020 | 2:55 pm | Emma Jones

Baker Boy has shared a powerful statement regarding Black Lives Matter both abroad and at home.

Yolngu man BAKER BOY has shared a powerful statement online overnight, addressing people who have attempted to call him out "for not publicly sharing my rage about what is happening right now," in regard to the protests that have erupted in the United States recently demanding justice for police brutality against black Americans.

Explaining that while he uses his Baker Boy persona to "choose a path of positivity and light," he also stated "I don’t feel like it is anyone’s place to push guilt or question the activism of a First Nations person during this traumatising time," before detailing his own personal insight into the situation not only abroad but here at home in light of Australia's own systemic racism faced by First Nations people.

"I am angry. I am scared. I feel every negative emotion that there is to feel about what happened to George Floyd," he wrote. "I feel these emotions EVERY DAMN DAY not just right now when it’s big on the news or trending on twitter and Instagram. This is my life and I am scared[.]"

He called on non-indigenous Australians to ensure their activism extends beyond bare-minimum social media posting, stating it goes far beyond that. "As your eyes open and you slowly awaken to the realities of what it is like to be a Person of Colour, an African American, an Indigenous Australian, I truly hope your activism goes further than your social media. Activism starts at home, with hard conversations."

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Read the full statement below:

 

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I have had a number of people ‘call me out’ for not publicly sharing my rage about what is happening right now. As my Baker Boy persona I choose a path of positivity and light and choose not to speak politically with this platform. I’m also unsure that I have anything new or insightful to say. I don’t feel like it is anyone’s place to push guilt or question the activism of a First Nations person during this traumatising time. But I will say; I am a Yolngu Man from North East Arnhem Land. I am angry. I am scared. I feel every negative emotion that there is to feel about what happened to George Floyd. I feel these emotions EVERY DAMN DAY not just right now when it’s big on the news or trending on twitter and Instagram. This is my life and I am scared, I have anxiety about going to unknown places like a different cafe from my usual, not to mention the challenge of touring from the fear of racism, that, yes, is still rampant here in Australia too. For all of my balanda (non-indigenous) brothers and sisters I hope what you’re seeing in America right now is opening your eyes to the stolen land that you live on here in Australia, to your privilege, to those ‘jokes’, to those ‘jokes’ that you don’t call out, to your racist uncle or aunt or cousin or friend or coworker and, most devastatingly, opening your eyes to the over 400 deaths in custody of Indigenous Australians without a single officer charged. As your eyes open and you slowly awaken to the realities of what it is like to be a Person of Colour, an African American, an Indigenous Australian, I truly hope your activism goes further than your social media. Activism starts at home, with hard conversations. Please think about the way you are communicating with POC around you, especially at this time, as those who reached out to me considered themselves allies whilst amplifying my trauma, anger and sadness. Love and Peace, Danzal.

A post shared by Baker Boy (@dabakerboy) on

Words by Emma Jones

Image: Supplied

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