“I do not accept that there is underlying racism in this country.”

Response by John Howard (the then Prime Minister of Australia) during the aftermath of the Cronulla Riots in 2005.

Whoever said “ignorance is bliss” probably never experienced racism. Contemporary Australia can try to hide it from the rest of the world, but it cannot deny its existence to those who experience it on a daily basis. Racism is alive and real.

Phrases like “Go back home!” continue to remain in the vocabulary of those who are quick to speak without thinking. And it’s phrases like those that have me asking many questions. The most disturbing questions are the ones that I direct at myself. Let me explain.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to meet and build with the brother, The Narcicyst: a dope MC and author from Canada. He was here participating in a series of workshops put together by Information Cultural Exchange (ICE) in Parramatta. During his stay, the brother launched his book The Diatribes of a Dying Tribe at the Switch Digital Arts Centre. Whilst attending his book launch, I was struck by one point that he raised when he was discussing the issue of race. He said that he felt most at home whilst frequenting magazine stores at international airports. For him, it’s a place where distinctions between people are irrelevant; a place where he’s free; a place where his identity is secure.

That got me thinking. Being born and raised in Australia, I say that Australia is my home. When people first meet me, they often ask where I’m from, assuming I’ll say that I’m from somewhere overseas because of how I look. It’s funny seeing the look on people’s faces when I say I was born in the South Western Sydney suburb of Liverpool. What’s interesting though is always the follow up question: “Ahh, you know what I mean? Where are you really from?” I look Indian, but I have no real, deep connection with India. My parents do, because that’s where they were born and raised. I was born in Australia, but I feel like I do not have a connection with mainstream Australia because mainstream Australia does not want to have a connection with me. So where is home for me?

Is my way of thinking a bit over-the-top? Am I over-reacting? Maybe…if I was the only one who thought this way. But what happens when my family and friends, my community and most minority groups think the same way? Are we all over-reacting? I don’t think so. We feel it every day. And when I say ‘we’, I mean everybody. People of all racial backgrounds are discriminated against. It’s an unfortunate reality.

So what can we do to stop it? Is there a solution? Part of the solution is creating awareness by forcing the issue into the mainstream. If we can have discussions about it openly and intelligently, then we can begin to come up with solutions.

This Thursday, 2 June 2011, at 6:30PM , the NSW Reconciliation Council, VIBEWire and All Together Now are opening the floor for discussion at an event titled “I’m Not Racist…But”. I’ll be expressing my views on the topic on a panel alongside Rhianna Patrick, Samah Hadid, The Antibogan and Tom Tilley.

I urge you all to come down and be a part of the event. Racism is not acceptable. If you’ve felt it, or know someone who has, retweet this, post this on Facebook, tell your friends and family. Let’s get the discussions going within our communities. If we’ve all experienced it, and we all feel the same, let’s get together and push for change.

I will post up a re-cap of the event afterwards for those who are unable to attend. In the mean time, check out this video, check out the Give Racism The Finger campaign and be a part the fight against racism.