We are extremely disappointed to hear reports of alleged racist emails from Professor Barry Spurr. Regardless of the context in which the comments were made, attitudes such as this are harmful, and destroy the confidence, self-esteem and health of individuals. Minimising these attitudes as a ‘joke’ ignores the suffering felt by victims of racism, and undermines years of work towards racial tolerance in Australia. As many as four out of five Indigenous Australians regularly experience racism and Professor Spurr’s alleged comments show that the effects of this racism are often ignored or misunderstood. beyondblue’s recent Stop. Think. Respect. campaign highlights the dangerous effect racist behaviour has on the lives and health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It reminds us that casual acts of racism can be just as harmful as overt forms. We believe we must call out racist behaviour like this when we see it, and remind those around us that racist and hurtful statements are never a joke and they should never be acceptable. We support the Racism. It Stops With Me campaign in calling on all Australians to counter racism wherever it happens.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 01:06:14 +0000