Indigenous Australian Organisations & Charities You Can Support

The Indigenous Organisations And Campaigns To Lend Your Support To

In the wake of George Floyd's death, the streets have been filled with Black Lives Matter protests to call a stop to the racial injustices faced by black communities. Floyd's murder was yet another reminder that racism is not only rampant in America, but everywhere - setting an all too haunting reminder that Australia's own Indigenous population has for too long faced prejudice and brutality at the hands of law officials.

A 2018 analysis of ten years of coronial data found that 407 Indigenous people had died in police or prison custody since the end of the royal commission in 1991. And while Indigenous Australians make up 2 per cent of the national population, 27 per cent make up the prison population. ⁣

Enough is enough. It's time to take action.

Below, we've outlined the current campaigns and organisations that are providing support to Indigenous Australians and the families of those who have died in police custody.

In 2015, David Dungay, a 26-year-old Indigenous Australian in Long Bay jail, had guards storm his cell after he refused to stop eating a packet of biscuits. In video footage played in court, he begged for his life while officers held him down so hard he died. His family are yet to see justice served, and his mother has set up a page to fund an inquest into the officers who were found not responsible for her son's death.

Kumanjayi Walker was shot by police three times in his home at Yuendumu in the Northern Territory in November 2019. Now, his loved ones have set up a GoFundMe to raise funds for an independent inquiry into the shooting.

Tanya Day was a Yorta Yorta woman who was removed by police from a train and taken into custody, where she sustained injuries. After spending hours in a cell without being checked on, Tanya was finally taken to hospital where she died from the brain injuries inflicted. The family are asking for donations to get an individual inquest into her death.

ANTaR

ANTaR is a national advocacy organisation dedicated specifically to the rights - and overcoming the disadvantage - of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through lobbying, public campaigns and advocacy. The focus remains on changing attitudes and behaviours of non-Indigenous Australians so that the rights and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are respected and affirmed across all sections of society.

Get involved.

The National Justice Project

The National Justice Project advocates for the development of law and justice system that is fair, just and equitable. It takes on the most challenging cases that tackle systematic injustices and racism within government institutions. It also provides legal support to people who would otherwise not have access.

Get involved.

The Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA)

The NAAJA offers competent legal services to Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, ensuring that everyone has real access to justice.

Get involved.

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Sisters Inside

Sisters Inside believe that no person is better than another, but that environment and life circumstances play a major role. First Nations women and girls are massively over-represented in prison due to the racism at the foundation of systems of social control, and the organisation works alongside incarcerated women, advocating for them with governments and the legal system to achieve fairer outcomes.

On January 5th, Sisters Inside founder Debbie Kilroy started a GoFundMe (#FreeHer) page to help female prisoners in Western Australia. The state refuses to change the law, where people who have no criminal convictions are imprisoned if they don't have the capacity to pay a fine. Aboriginal mothers make up the majority of those in prison who do not have the capacity to pay, and the fundraiser has since raised over $649,000.

"We will continue to free Aboriginal women from imprisonment by using all the money you donate to pay their warrants so that women are not locked up for poverty," Kilroy wrote.

Get involved.

Happy Boxes Project

Emma Sullings spent five years working, living and learning in remote communities in the Northern Territory as a teacher, where she realised first hand how difficult it was to access basic needs such as food and toiletries. So, she founded Happy Boxes (although she prefers to say the project 'found her') as a means to bring joy to those remote communities.

To get involved, simply donate and you will be responsible for helping communities and supporting disadvantaged youth and women’s refugee centres. Each box gets filled with different needs, some with soaps and deodorants, other with face masks and body scrubs. Some have accessories and clothes and some are simply sanitary items.

Donate here.

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Happy International Women's Day. This year the theme of IWD is #eachforequal - an equal world is an enabled world. This theme stands at the heart of why the Happy Boxes Project exists. We came into creation with the intention of supporting women and girls in remote communities to have equal access to basic toiletries, beauty and hygiene products - things that many of us have never had to live without. Receiving a little basic luxury through a Happy Box helps us to support the Mothers, Sisters, Aunties, Grandmothers in communities who are all trying to support their families in adverse circumstances. We believe that it inequality is unacceptable and will continue to strive towards ending the divide. Let's all make a commitment to lifting up our fellow women in whatever way possible and create a more equal world for all. #internationalwomensday #iwd 📸 @leicolhnmckellar_photography

DJIRRA

Led by the formidable Antoinette Braybrook, Djirra is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation focused on preventing and addressing family violence. The Melbourne-based organisation provides legal and non-legal support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who experience family violence - predominantly women. They also run important intervention programs like Young Luv teaching girls about healthy relationships and Dilly Bag, a cultural workshop to promote healing. "Djirra is the Woiwurrung word for the reed used by Wurundjeri women for basket weaving. Traditionally, when women gathered to weave, important talks took place and problems were solved. Djirra symbolises Aboriginal women today, still coming together to share stories, support each other and find solutions," explains Braybrook.

Get involved.

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Educate yourself.

While yes, taking to Instagram to hashtag and repost is going to help raise awareness - we must continue to amplify our voices - especially those of us born with white privilege - and educate those around us.

marie claire has long advocated for the rights of Indigenous Australians, dedicating the February 2020 issue to push for the constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The It's Time campaign, fronted by Jess Mauboy, Miranda Tapsell and Samantha Harris, saw some of the country's most influential unite for change.

Some resources to read up on: