Anti-racism trust set up in WA

Anti-racism trust set up in WA

By Leon Harrison

PERTH — The parents of an Aboriginal youth killed in January in a racist attack have set up a trust to counter racism.

Bill Johnson is still deeply angered by the death of his 19-year-old son Louis. He is also angered by the fact that racism is increasing in Western Australia and his other children are experiencing it.

Recently, his other son, Tony, 11, who was adopted by the Johnsons in Jamaica, suffered racist abuse at Karrinup shopping centre. A white man drove past Tony in the shopping complex car park and shouted abuse at him.

Bill Johnson explained that this was a daily occurrence for Louis before he was killed.

The Johnsons set up the Louis St John Johnson Memorial Trust with their own money. The trust is intended to do something practical to solve problems in the Aboriginal community, while at the same time honouring the memory of Louis Johnson.

The trust has a wide range of aims, from helping to preserve Aboriginal languages and culture, to helping Aboriginal people with housing, jobs, training, legal representation and land rights.

One important aim is to help adopted and fostered Aboriginal children to find their families.

The Johnsons hope that the trust will help all non-white youth to grow up in an Australia free of racism. They also hope that the epitaph on Louis Johnson's gravestone does not have to be repeated: "Born January 4 1973. Died January 4 1992. Because he was black."

From GLW issue 56