2005 Freedom Rides

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Inspired by the the 1965 Freedom Rides, another ride traveled through New South Wales in 2005. the aim of this ride was to deterine how much had changed in the 40 years and to foster a debate on reconciliation. Sylvie Ellsmore herself stated, "We wanted to gauge what has changed since 1965 and get young people in regional areas talking about race issues as it affects them". However, despite the reconciliation focus of this event, experiences of discrimination were reported. In addition to this, the poor housing conditions for some Aboriginal people were noted. The findings of the 2005 ride were presented to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Andrew Refshauge, and it was also reported that while much had changed since the original ride, much remains to be done. The ride was able to cover more than 13 communities.  The image on the left shows some of the 2005 Freedom Riders.

What has changed?

Many things have changed for the Aboriginal people since the Freedom Rides. Before them, many policies/acts had been tried on the Aboriginal people such as Protectionism and Assimilation. Such policies had only been attempts to remove the 'black' people of their culture. After this came the Stolen Generations. Children were stolen from their families, and deprived of learning about their culture. The government defined it as a way of providing the Aboriginal children a better future. All these events had only led to the destruction of many beliefs and a strong culture. The discrimination became an accepted part of the Aboriginal people's lives. The 1965 ride had helped the Aboriginal community in the best way. They made them believe that they could fight back, and to not accept this discrimination towards them. Over time Aboriginal rights have changed. Segregation has decreased, and Aboriginal people are given a part in society. However, the findings of the 2005 ride have shown to the nation that racism still exists. Aboriginal people still do not have equal rights as the 'white' people. Kirsten Cheetham, a 19 year old Gamilaroi woman studying at Sydney University said that, 'lack of access to employment and housing and a resistance from the non-Aboriginal community in many areas to recognise the rights of the local Aboriginal community and the truth of the local area's history were some of the problems local Aboriginal people said existed.'