Bronwyn Powell, Sydney
In February 1965, a group of Sydney University students called Students for Aboriginal Rights, led by Aboriginal students Charles Perkins and Gary Williams, set out in a bus across regional Australia to expose and confront segregation and colour bars against Aboriginal people.
For the 50th anniversary of the ride, young people are planning a second Freedom Ride. The bus will travel to many of the same towns as the original Freedom Ride, such as Walgett, Moree and Kempsey.
Event coordinator Samia Hossain said that the purpose of the trip will be to find out "how far we have and haven't come" in addressing racism. "In the 1960s the main issue was segregation, which was easily identifiable and formal. But today the face of racism has changed, and we want to find out how."
The ride is being organised by ReconciliACTION, a network of young Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It aims to encourage young people to become active in the reconciliation movement, and to support young people working to overcome racism in their communities and has organised concerts and conferences as part of this.
The Freedom Ride will be an act of reconciliation. In each town visited, events will be held that "get Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people in the one place". This will include workshops, musical events and BBQs.
Hossain said the events in the towns need to be organised in consultation with the local communities they meet with.
"We do have to involve the community, and not be imposing from above as kids from the city".
"We have to consult with the Aboriginal community, but it also has to be for everyone."
Approximately half the people organising the event and going on the trip so far are Indigenous.
"With so many Indigenous people working on it, it is reconciliation", Hossain said. It will be "a big reconciliation project for [those going], and the experience will be amazing."
It is hoped the event will have a broader impact through media exposure. An organiser of the event, Indigenous-Australian Daniel Syron, said "Aboriginal issues aren't generally taken seriously in Australia. They are not high on the priorities of Australian politicians and business." Syron hopes the Freedom Ride "will bring Aboriginal issues into the public domain through media coverage".
Some of the freedom riders will also be making a documentary of the trip. They hope to get it screened on ABC or SBS as well as film festivals and community screenings, including going back to the towns visited and showing it there. The director of the documentary, Indigenous film-maker Angie Abdilla, said that it will be "an important document for the history of Aboriginal politics — how they have progressed or digressed. The issues this time around will be pinpointing what the issues are."
The itinerary of the trip will be flexible enough to respond to any issues that arise. The freedom riders will possibly travel to Goondiwindi, where two Aboriginal youths were dragged by nooses around their necks on November 29.
The Freedom Ride will depart from Sydney University on February 12, the same date and place that the original Freedom Ride in 1965 departed. The day will also be a reunion for the original freedom riders, who included Indigenous activist Charles Perkins, Ann Curthoys (now a historian) and Jim Spiegelman (now chief judge of the NSW Supreme Court).
The original riders are not travelling on this trip, with the focus being on young people. Syron explained "Young people always show a great concern for a lot of issues in Australia. We want to get a new generation of people involved in Indigenous affairs." Hossain said: "We want to empower young people to feel they can do something. Young people can make a difference."
Hossain said, "Reconciliation has come to a standstill because people don't know what to do. It's seen as an old staid thing. This trip is something that young people can connect to because they can actually do something."
Those going include high school and tertiary students, workers, and people from Sydney and rural areas.
The event has so far obtained part-funding from the Foundation for Young Australians, and is seeking more funding to cover all costs so as to allow any young person wishing to be part of it, to go.
To go on the two-week Freedom Ride or help with organising, funding or other support, email Samia at <shos6913@mail.usyd.edu.au>. Visit the ReconciliACTION website <http://www.reconciliaction.org.au>.
From Green Left Weekly, December 15, 2004.
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