Comment: Now is the time to listen, not stand in judgment

The phrase popped into my head this week as I read about the ongoing riots in the US that have followed the death of African American man George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police.

I will say straight out, I haven't watched the now-notorious footage of Mr Floyd dying. A single frame or two showing him lying on the ground with a police officer's knee on his neck, teamed with the description of his desperate dying pleas, were enough to paint a gut-wrenching picture.

But, like millions of people around the world, I have watched the rallies, rioting and violence that have followed Mr Floyd's death and wondered how, in 2020, the human race is still being divided because of the colour of our skin.

All right, I'll concede that it isn't really as simple as just skin colour, but the bottom line is that, as a single human race, we are still making judgments about people's character based on their race, religion, gender, sexuality and a bunch of other factors.

We all know that isn't OK, and thankfully great improvements have been made. But we have a long way to go.

When events like this happen, there is a lot of commentary. Suddenly everyone is an expert on cultural and race relations.

Well, you know what? I'm a white Australian woman and I'm not going to pretend to have a clue about how it feels to be an African American or, closer to home, an Indigenous Australian.

What I can do, though, is reach out to people who do know what it's like.

This week I talked to Joe Williams, the former Wagga sportsman and mental health advocate, who is helping to organise a Black Lives Matter rally in Wagga on Saturday.

I asked Mr Williams how non-Indigenous people can help to effect change.

As you might imagine, it's not an easy answer, but I felt one of the biggest messages from Mr Williams was for us to listen to what Indigenous Australians are trying to tell us.

It's a good place to start: Just listen to our Indigenous community and ask them what we can do.

Mr Williams pointed out that Saturday's rally was designed to bring people together. All people.

His is not a message of division, but of hope for a better future.

We have all heard at least some of the statistics. Our Indigenous population often has worse health and education outcomes, poorer job prospects and is overrepresented in the justice system.

But just when it seemed like all we ever do is talk and never see real changes for the better, Mr Williams reassured me a little.

He described Wagga as one of the most progressive places he has visited, and this is a bloke who travels a lot in his profession.

Wagga is an increasingly diverse city. Admittedly, at the moment the lunchtime crowd in Baylis Street is a bit thinner, but it is still a beautiful sea of different faces, representing cultures from across the globe.

And it was only last year that Wagga hosted a hugely successful corroboree for the first time in more than a century.

The message from that corroboree was also one of inclusion and healing.

We all know change takes time, but I reckon places like Wagga are where we can see real improvements, if only we take the time to listen and learn.

This is a welcoming, multicultural city where people from war-torn nations are finding a safe place to start new lives.

I think we can also be the place that takes the lead and demonstrates we are listening when it comes to our oldest culture.

As we watch the events in the US unfold, the question we should be asking ourselves here in Australia shouldn't be: How could it happen?

We need to start looking for answers as to how we can help to improve the lives of all Australians.

How do we ensure that this nation moves on without leaving anyone behind? Let's start by making sure everyone has the chance to be heard.