BeyondBlues New Racism and Depression Campaign >>----> Almost half of white Australians believe Aboriginal people are given unfair advantages by the government, and one in five people say they would move away if an indigenous Australian sat next to them. The disturbing findings are contained in new research conducted for BeyondBlue, which will today launch a powerful new television campaign highlighting the link between subtle, insidious forms of racism, and the depression and anxiety it triggers. Athlete turned Senator Nova Peris, as reported in The Cairns Post, will help launch the campaign, which is designed to highlight the widespread racism still endured by Australia’s indigenous citizens. In a speech today, Senator Peris will say she has been the victim of “all forms of racism — from the blatant verbal abuse through to subtle bias against me”. “The Stop Think Respect campaign makes a stand that racism is not acceptable,” Senator Peris said. “But it also makes people think about whether they might be subconsciously engaging in subtle racism. It makes people think about the potential consequences of their actions.” The TNS survey for BeyondBlue, of 1000 non-indigenous Australians, alarmingly found almost ten per cent of non-indigenous respondents admit they would not hire an Aboriginal jobseeker. One in ten people said they would avoid sitting next to an indigenous Australian on public transport, while more than a third of people surveyed conceded they believe indigenous Aussies are “sometimes a bit lazy”. BeyondBlue chairman Jeff Kennett said regardless of whether racism is subtle or overt, “it still ruins lives”. Read the full story here: goo.gl/67UFVu (via Spirit of Belonging)
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:06:35 +0000