The Victorian African Communities Action Plan (VACAP) Implementation Committee stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the fight against racial injustice and discrimination of black people in Australia and across the world.
The last few weeks of protests following the tragic killing of Mr. George Floyd and the overwhelmingly high number of Aboriginal deaths in custody has left the committee and many people in our communities feeling outraged at the pervasive nature of structural and individual racism in our society.
As
settlers on this land, African Victorians can never fully understand the deep inter-generational trauma and suffering that racial injustice has caused to First Nations people in this country, however as many Africans are from countries that also have a colonial past, many of us feel the impact of a culture built upon privileging the voices, experiences and knowledge of white people above others. We condemn all forms of racism in our society and seek to work with all well-meaning Australians to build a society where all people are equal, treated fairly and with respect.
As a conduit between the African Victorian community and Victoria State Government, we acknowledge the important role we play to advocate and implement initiatives to create opportunities for our
communities to belong, contribute and thrive. Our action plan articulates the combined voices of hundreds of members our communities and focuses on the following six areas:
- Business
- Employment
- Education and training
- Health and wellbeing
- Inclusion and empowerment
- Leadership, cohesion and connection
Over the coming months, VACAP projects and initiatives co-designed by us as representatives of our communities will be announced which we know will improve the wellbeing of African Victorians.
This said, we know more is needed. As stated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ‘we need to raise our voices against all expressions of racism
and instances of racist behaviour’, if we want to live in an anti-racist world. We want to work together with the State Government and the broader community in Victoria to create a society free from racism and race-based discrimination.
Signed,
African Victorian Communities Implementation Committee
(names are in alphabetical order)
Ms Agok Angok
Mr Ahmed Dini
Mr Ahmed Hassan (Co-chair)
Ms Anthea Hancocks
Dr Apollo S. Nsubuga- Kyobe
Ms Betty Belay
Ms Elleni Bereded-Samuel (Co-chair)
Mr Fred Alale
Mr Haileluel Gebre-Selassie OAM
Mr Jago Adongjak
Mr Mahad Warsame
Ms Monica Aweng-Deng
Ms Monica Forson
Mr Nor Shanino
Ms Nyawargak Dei
Ms Rabecca Mphande
