There’s often a big question mark on how to best educate yourself on the systemic issues that impact Aboriginal communities. To get a better understanding of how to be a good ally, it’s on us allies ourselves to do the research.
The good thing is, there are endless online resources available to research and learn about Aboriginal Victorian cultures and histories, what to say and do and what not to say and do, as well as a tonne of Aboriginal-owned businesses that we can buy from and support.
While Victoria is currently on the path to Treaty (which you can read up on more here), there are things we can do as individuals to support Traditional Owners of country and Aboriginal Victorians, too.
Below are some straightforward ways to be an ally 365 days of the year. We spoke to Haus of Dizzy founder and Wiradjuri woman Kristy Dickinson, AKA The Queen of Bling, to offer further insight.
Advocate
It’s all well and good to speak up on January 26, but as Kristy explained, advocacy needs to consistently happen throughout the year to make a significant impact:
“To me, an ally is someone who shows their support all year-‘round. We need people advocating for our communities at all times, not just on January 26. The Deadly & Proud website is an amazing resource for allies to continue to learn and understand the rich Aboriginal cultures and histories that we have here in Victoria.”
The issues don’t go away just because January 26 does, so keep fighting the good fight.
Listen & Engage
Conversations are only useful for all involved if you’re actually listening and processing the information. A handy little pointer, if you are going to engage in a consensual conversation, would also be to go in expecting to have your pre-existing notions challenged. We all have to start somewhere, none of us are entirely informed straight off the bat, so learning from these conversations and being prepared to be wrong is a great mentality to have.
“Through the constant dialogue online we are able to keep the conversation moving forward. While there is a lot of bigotry and hate online, there are also a lot of voices that are working to support the community,” Kristy said.
Shop Blak
There are countless Aboriginal-owned brands to get around, so check out a handful below for a good jumping-off point:
Gammin Threads, Bananalands, Clothing the Gap, Jarin Street, Kiya Watt, Take Pride Movement, Ginnys Girl Gang, Arkie the Label, Gillawarra Arts, Mabu Mabu Amber Days and, of course, Haus of Dizzy.
“Do your research into the pieces and truly understand the full meaning behind the things you are wearing and supporting,” Kristy said.
“Having non-Aboriginal people wear my designs is something that is really important to me, but people often have questions around what they can and can’t rep. Many brands including Haus of Dizzy have an ‘ally friendly’ section which can give people a good idea on what is and isn’t appropriate to wear.”
Stay Informed
Just like knowing what you can and can’t wear, or what you should and shouldn’t say, it’s always great to keep reading up on issues that impact Aboriginal Victorians. Keep having those conversations and keep holding yourself and your mates accountable.
It’s an ongoing effort that won’t be fixed overnight, so we always need to be on the front foot.
“For me, it’s important we encourage allies to support Aboriginal communities but it’s also important for people to know how to do this in the right way… Buy from Aboriginal-owned brands, listen to Aboriginal artists, make sure you have Blak voices in your social media feed,” Kristy said.
To find out more information on how to be a good ally, head here.
To read up on more stories from Aboriginal voices like Kristy, and how the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the Vic Gov are working towards treaty, head to the Deadly & Proud website.
