Black Lives Matter: should the Jewish community get involved

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The Uluru Statement from the Heart. Indigenous deaths in custody. Black lives matter. Where does the Jewish community fit in, and what could – or should – we do to get involved?

Thomas Mayor

Jewish Australians and the Indigenous community have often fought together in struggles for justice and human rights, from William Cooper and the Australian Aboriginal League’s protest against Kristallnacht in 1938 and the Jewish participation in the Freedom Ride in 1965 to the work that organisations like Shalom-Gamarada, Derech Eretz and the Rona Tranby Trust do today.

A number of notable Jews have supported Indigenous Australians in their fight for justice and recognition, a fight that is ongoing to this day.

Addressing the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies plenum next week, Indigenous activists Thomas Mayor and Ashlee Kearney will share what the crucial issues in the Indigenous space are today, and what the Jewish community needs to know.

Ashlee Kearney

Thomas Mayor, a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin is the National Indigenous Officer for the Maritime Union of Australia and spends his time advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples, campaigning for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice.

Ashlee Kearney, a proud Ngiyampaa, Wiradjuri and Ngemba woman from far west New South Wales is committed to making a difference for all Australians, especially the First Nations peoples and women through education. She currently works as the Policy and Projects Manager at First Peoples Disability Network.

The Board of Deputies September plenum will take place on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30pm. Register at bit.ly/JBDSeptember for the Zoom link.