"This song is called Whip Cracker. I wrote it a year ago, wrote a lot of the lyrics two years ago, and it frustratingly doesn't get less relevant. I'm not gonna sit here and try to convince anyone why me and my family's lives matter. I'm not gonna be congratulating white people for not being racist, and I'm not gonna beg and plead for the justice of my people anymore, I'm taking that shit."
Genesis Owusu puts resistance to words with new single Whip Cracker, released last night across the Canberra-based, Ghana-born, artist's platforms.
Why you askin' why I'm so jaded,
Who forgot your thoughts on the races,
Mammy got the crumbs from your faces,
Fed all your babies,
Still copped the racist ...
The release's timing is poignant. But as Owusu says, the devastating reality behind the lyrics is ongoing - until systemic change is enacted.
With the music and video from Owusu comes a link to ways to act.
Watch the Whip Cracker video below - then learn more about the Australian initiatives you can donate to.
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Justice for Yuendumu: Inquiry on Police Shooting
Justice for David Dungay Junior
Aboriginal Legal Services NSW / ACT
Aboriginal Legal Service of WA
North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service QLD
Tasmanian Aboriginal Community Legal Service
Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement SA
For more ways to donate - and contribute your time to services in Australia, click here. To educate yourself about the systemic oppression facing Black, Indigenous and People of Colour over decades, visit our community reading recommendations. And add these resources to your watch list.
What does it mean to be anti-racist? This is the book you need to read.
