Often I can’t write what I really want to write because of the feelings involved, and because I have been placed in a difficult position, and because I sometimes figure that others would have difficulty believing me.
A list of very controversial issues which I have to interact personally with, sums up quite a lot of things.
There is almost no problem and no issue in my life, certainly out of just about all things which have happened in the last 5 years or more, which is unaffected by race and racism. Although one of the most controversial points, there is no getting around the centrality of race and racism, to my life in general and in particular in direct connection to everything that has occurred in the last 5 years.
This problem is brought constantly to my life, whether I want it or not. There is not a single day that I am allowed to forget about it or to not engage with it in any way. All public instances of racism are recent and date back to only about 5 years, in other words it is not normal and not the initial starting point.
As I frequently make the point, the racism is migrant-lead, and most frequently has a upward-harrassment push not a downward-harassment one. This is an important point to make so that people have some idea of what I’m actually talking about.
Here, I refer directly to my own experience in Sydney in the last 5 years on a day-to-day basis.
However, if I consider global issues, historical issues, or my own background, race and racism again are of central importance.