It has taken us some time to organise the enormity of our feelings from the past few weeks.

Like everyone who saw the clip of George Floyd’s suffocation we were horrified then furiously angry and at times we’ve felt unsure of where to direct that anger or of how to help. ⁣
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Something we want to be extremely mindful of is not to speak without thinking or as though we have the depth of experience that people of colour have had to face, now and in the past.⁣
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In respect we spent a large portion of our time reading, listening to people’s stories, and trying to learn about our country’s own history with deaths in custody because there isn’t a place on the planet that hasn’t been touched by racial violence. ⁣
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A hard, sad fact is some 400+ souls have died in custody in Australia since 1991. Their names were not in the news and the fact we as a country did not protest the first time this happened deeply saddens us.

For that reason, we are so inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and for all the Australians now speaking out about racial violence.

We see our role as content creators to be actively anti-racist in the work we do and the lives we lead, show up to protests and stay outraged.
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If there is any good that can come from the pain of this current situation it is that we are all being confronted with the concept of privilege and making efforts to counter it by educating ourselves and each other on how to get involved and make a better world. ⁣
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In light of this we wanted to highlight a few local organisations that we have donated to and who have taught us about ways to bridge the gap access cultures with respect, creativity and innovation.⁣
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Common Ground Australia
@commongroundaustralia — helps retain and provide access to First Nations stories and culture for all Australians.⁣
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Yalarimob
@yalarimob — helps promote generational change by providing Indigenous children from remote communities access to quality education while retaining their cultural heritage.⁣
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Heaps Decent
@heapsdecent — a groundbreaking organisation that harnesses music and storytelling to change the lives of a radically diverse range of Australian youth. They have developed musical mentorship programs with artists such as M.I.A, Diplso, Lykkie Li and A-Trak and more to foster creativity as a means for expression and healing.⁣
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You can also donate to the ‘Official George Floyd Memorial Fund’ at @gofundme — the money from this will cover funeral and legal expenses for his family as they seek justice.

This is not a trend. This post isn’t about optics. This is a wake-up call to listen, learn and act by contributing more than just words and we’ll be sharing more on this soon.

Thank you and love to all.