
I am writing this in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the heartening reaction globally of people taking a stand against these tragic losses of black lives.
It is an eye-opening time for many, a humbling time for many others and also a call to action.
This subject is dear to my heart as I was a child born in Apartheid South Africa. I was brought to Australia just 12 weeks later because my existence as a child born to an Australian father and Xhosa mother was not legally recognised there at the time.
My parents decided that Australia was a slightly better place to raise a child.
I am lucky enough to have mostly experienced covert rather than overt racism but it still kept me very small for a long time. I didn’t dare draw attention to myself and the colour of my skin for fear of making it worse.
Leaning into empathy as a parent, I became more vocal in speaking…