Freedom Ride

I’m saddened to say that I hadn’t heard of the ‘Freedom Ride’ before. 

Everyone deserves the opportunity to study

I have always supported indigenous students in their journey to achieve a degree and because of this, I have many wonderful, amazing, talented indigenous friends, so any event that helps highlight their endeavours, I want to know about so I can support it. 

So I’m sad because a lot of my indigenous friends didn’t tell me about this wonderful event that happened 50 years ago. Why?

Basically, they hadn’t heard of it either. It was really a lifetime ago. 

So let me tell you quickly what the ‘Freedom Ride’ was and what it achieved. With a journey through northwest New South Wales in Australia a bus with two indigenous students and 28 non-indigenous students left Sydney University and travelled to towns including Dubbo, Walgett, Kempsey and Moree, to highlight the discrimination being experienced by indigenous students, not  only at university, but at public swimming pools, restaurants, public halls and clubs and societies in Australia.  

The original ‘Freedom Ride’ receive excellent media coverage, and due to this, the plight of indigenous people  was able to be heard.  

Many people joined the group.

Action was taken.

Voices were heard.

I’m certainly glad about that.

If you’d like to read more, here’s a link for you.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fiftieth-anniversary-reenactment-of-freedom-ride-goes-north-to-fight-discrimination-against-aboriginal-people-20150218-13hl4l.html