HELP THEM BREATHE

Who can do something?

Who has the power to make the change the world is demanding? Who can break the cycle of violence and begin scraping blood from the face of our nation? Who can bridge this divide and begin the healing?

You can: the law student, the dreamer, the ally.

This article needs little explanation, the events which have spun the world into riot remain a global stain and a reminder of the enduring struggle for race equality.

A man’s last words should not be “I can’t breathe”. No human being should beg for their life underneath the boot of the law. There will never be a single day of reckoning. There can be no single day where everything changes, equality is not a Hollywood blockbuster. Change is slow and incremental; requiring constant dedication and work. We need to make a conscious and unwavering decision to stand up for what is right, it is as simple as courtesy in public spaces and as complicated as instituting systemic protections and reform. This is not just a Facebook post or an Instagram story. This is the loss of 437 Indigenous lives in custody since 1991; this is their loved ones having to live on without them. Their nightmare endures when our phone screens are locked. Their nightmare endures if we move forward with our eyes closed.

The law is an institution for the administration of justice, when it fails its most basic function its keepers need to act. Our inheritance is a failing system; a system built on terra nullius and racial prejudice, a system racking up a body count. As law students, we hold the future of Australia in our heads and hands. Education is a privilege. The gift of that education comes with a solemn duty to wield it for the betterment of this country. For the betterment of the lives of our first nations peoples.

Education is power.