Australia reckons with an oppressive history
August 13, 2020 · By Melina Delkic for www.nytimes.com
Faye Sakura for The New York Times
Australia reckons with an oppressive history
Thousands of South Pacific islanders were lured to Australian plantations in the 19th century through deception, force and a colonialist system that looted less-advantaged societies. The country’s prime minister recently said there had been “no slavery” in Australia, setting off a backlash. (He later apologized.)
The Black Lives Matter movement, as it has swept the globe, has led Australia to look more deeply at entrenched discrimination against its Indigenous peoples and other minorities. Above, Raechel Ivey, a South Sea Islander and regional government official living in Mackay, where an estimated 20,000 South Sea Islanders live.
