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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 17. July 18th, 1973

Involve the Community

Involve the Community

One way of nailing the consistent racist would be to involve the community organisations in the job of combating racism. Very few members of any racial minority have much confidence in approaching a government bureaucrat. It seems certain many don't. If they do then they're on their own — and its one man's word against another. You often don't get believed in preference to a white man — or so minority people have reason to think. If their own people in a community organisation had some way of working in this field then the person complaining could go to them and talk about the problem with his own people. Others in his organisation might have cases of their own against the same racist. There would be a chance for the community organisation to send another member along to the shop, land agent etc. and see what extra evidence could be obtained by testing the alleged racist. And if he was acting as a racist, he would become known in the local community for what he was. There would be something solid for a Conciliator to bite on.

"Some of you used to call us 'boy' and that's why now some of us like to call you 'mother.'"

"Some of you used to call us 'boy' and that's why now some of us like to call you 'mother.'"

There is really no reason why Advice Bureaus, Community Centres and minority associations couldn't do this right now. Just, I suppose the lack of confidence, and desire to let officials do things, which para lyses a lot of people in our society when it comes to taking action personally. But if one local organisation got on the job it might encourage a lot of others to act in a field where they seem to be the only agencies capable of getting results. The official conciliators seem to have crapped out, from what they say themselves.