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BLACK LIVES MATTER AND 30 LONG YEARS SINCE THE ROYAL COMMISSION INTO ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY KEENAN MUNDINE Keenan Mundine is the Co-Founder and Ambassador for Deadly Connections. Keenan is a proud First Nations man with connections to the Biripi Nation of NSW through his mother who is from Taree and Queensland through his Father who is from Cherbourg. Keenan is the youngest of three boys, born and raised on Gadigal land. After losing both his parents and being placed into care Keenan made some poor decisions in his adolescence which resulted in his lengthy involvement with the justice system. Keenan found his passion in giving back to his community and working with people who have similar experiences to him. Keenan’s journey has taken him to the United Nations in Switzerland to address the Human Rights Council and share his story so that they may lean on Australia’s Government to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Keenan’s journey inspired him and his wife to create a unique, community led solution and response to the current mass incarceration and child protection crisis of First Nations people.
The Black Lives Matter movement was one that took me by complete surprise. For me personally, the movement meant growing awareness of what is happening in Australia to my people. It made me hopeful that international pressure may increase on the Australian Government, to hold them accountable for the almost 474 Aboriginal deaths in custody since 1991 and improve the treatment of indigenous people in the justice system. It also made me proud to see mass demonstration and people walking alongside First Nations people. The impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on the organisation I’m a part of, Deadly Connections, cannot be quantified. We saw a significant increase in donations, which helped us to grow. As a result we could take on new challenges, implement sorely-needed programs, extend our family with new staff and volunteers. It also cemented our place within the justice space as the only specialist, First Nations-led grassroots organisation, achieving multiple levels of advocacy and support.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER | VOLUME 30: ISSUE 1 – AUGUST 2021
The Black Lives Matter movement elevated our voice. It put us on the map. We saw for the first time that people were seeking out Deadly Connections and demanding answers to this endemic of deaths in custody. They were asking for our answers, as Aboriginal people.
Photo: Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land. (Image by Johan Mouchet - Unsplash)
