tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/south-sudanese-48421/articlesSouth Sudanese – The Conversation2022-06-23T20:09:26Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1855042022-06-23T20:09:26Z2022-06-23T20:09:26ZHow young Black African Australians use social media to challenge anti-Black narratives and reclaim racial dignity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469966/original/file-20220621-18-4g1i30.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C11%2C7951%2C5285&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For Black African young people in Australia, social media can be especially fraught – a place they witness footage of anti-Black violence, contend with an “othering” gaze and encounter racist trolling, posts or comments.</p>
<p>Despite these challenges, social media can offer Black African young people in Australia safe spaces to engage in positive expressions of afro-Blackness, as our new study shows. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.224">study</a>, published today in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/18394655">Australian Journal of Social Issues</a>, was an ethnographic study of the social media activity of 15 young people (16–25) who self-identify as African and live in Australia. </p>
<p>Participants consented to being followed and/or “friended” on social media so as to observe their online practises over a six month period. They were also interviewed about their experiences on social media.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.224">Our study</a> reveals how these young people are using social media to challenge anti-Black narratives and reclaim some of their racial dignity.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/battlegrounds-highly-skilled-black-african-professionals-on-racial-microaggressions-at-work-149169">Battlegrounds: highly skilled Black African professionals on racial microaggressions at work</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Racial dignity and anti-Black racism</h2>
<p>One of us (Gatwiri) has defined <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JME-11-2021-0205/full/html">racial dignity</a> as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the immutable, unconditional worth of Blac/k people as human beings. To be racially dignified is to be seen through a humanised lens, and to be afforded basic respect, compassion and recognition in interpersonal and systemic contexts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Anti-Black racism is a unique form of racism especially directed towards dark skinned Black people. </p>
<p>Research on <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244017720483">blackness</a> argues there is something particular and specific about the visibility of <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Q8ZuDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Black+Bodies,+White+Gazes+-+Rowman+%26+Littlefield&ots=grKfUiyFe4&sig=ERpK8J66munyZZpNURuzIuUL1Ug&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Black%20Bodies%2C%20White%20Gazes%20-%20Rowman%20%26%20Littlefield&f=false">Black bodies</a> that triggers the imagination of white Australia. They are “read” as too un-assimilable, too different, too foreign, too dangerous, too visible, <em>too everything</em>.</p>
<p>Zuberi (age 25) also highlighted how anti-Blackness produces hyper-criminalisation of Black people. This results in over-policing by the community and the criminal justice system. He reflected on one example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We were walking back to the train station, and we were topping up our Myki. And there were two inspectors, standing a few metres from us, on the side. And this was probably about 9pm, a bit late. and they were like “Those people are always up to no good.” And then my cousin’s like, “What? What do you mean?” Like he got very angry and I think in those kinds of moments you kind of question […] you question a lot of stuff.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Real world experiences of anti-Black racism can inform the way young African Australians experience social media and participate in racial discourse online.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470453/original/file-20220623-52323-zbzr0o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many use social media functions – such as block, delete, mute and unfollow – to effectively bypass racism online.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our other <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/01634437221089246">journal article</a> from this study reported how Black African Australians used social media to spotlight and engage in positive expression of afro-Blackness. But they were also terrified of making white people uncomfortable, which could invite racial trolling or racial abuse online.</p>
<p>King (age 18) reflected on his attempts to separate himself from the “African gangs” label often attached to young Black African people in Australia. This informed the design of his online avatar and profile photo, curated to evoke a “friendly” persona: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>People sometimes they just look at your profile and they think you’re a bad person or a bad influence based on your picture. They’ll assume that you’re like other Black people they’ve seen in their life, they’ll assume you’re the same person.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When confronted with racist content on their newsfeed, most participants made deliberate choices to stay away from the comments section, colloquially considered a “cesspool of hatred”. Zuberi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.224">explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>You do see things on social media but I try to not get involved with it as much […] And for that reason, I choose not to look at the comments.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Creating online boundaries and communities</h2>
<p>The young people in our study reported digital spaces were safer than physical, offline settings in the white-majority Australian context. </p>
<p>Many used social media functions – such as block, delete, mute and unfollow – to effectively <em>bypass</em> racism online. They also used the “close friends” and “private stories” features to share their racial experiences.</p>
<p>This allowed people to engage in the kind of self-representation they chose – including posting pictures of themselves or discussing their experiences – within a “safe digital space”. </p>
<p>Social media was also particularly useful in connecting Black African youth who are geographically separated from each other. Many reflected how useful these connections are, often noting they were the “only Black kid” in their school or neighbourhood. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470454/original/file-20220623-51080-yjaqlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Social media was also particularly useful in connecting Black African youth who are geographically separated from each other.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Social media therefore became a place where participants sought out connections that dignified and validated their experiences.</p>
<p>Nya (age 18) told us these communities helped her to form a positive sense of identity as a young Black woman in Australia: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I’ve created a communal space on every single platform which has made me feel comfortable with myself […] I feel like I belong to the wider Black diaspora […] I actually didn’t grow up with Sudanese people, I grew up in (location removed for privacy) which is very white. So yeah, I created a community and I have connections and I like it.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Fear of racial trolling persists</h2>
<p>Human rights lawyer <a href="https://ethniccouncilshepparton.com.au/?p=6111">Nyadol Nyuon</a>, has said racial trolling is provoked by the belief that discussions about racism are a lack of gratitude “for the hand that fed you.” </p>
<p>Participants in our study also expressed awareness about the types of content they could and could not post, demonstrating how the fear of offending white people in digital spaces continued to shape their online practices.</p>
<p>As Mark (age 25) <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.224">said</a>, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I try to be quite careful in digital spaces because anything to do with race, you never know who is going to use that against you.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Using certain social media features allowed our participants to bypass traditional media and instead engage in self-presentations of their own making. This way, they were able to reclaim aspects of their racial dignity by developing positive pro-Black narratives online. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-power-of-no-simone-biles-naomi-osaka-and-black-womens-resistance-165318">The power of no: Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Black women's resistance</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185504/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This story is part of The Conversation's Breaking the Cycle series, which is about escaping cycles of disadvantage. It is supported by a philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claire Moran does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Social media can offer Black African young people in Australia safe spaces to engage in positive expressions of afro-Blackness.Kathomi Gatwiri PhD, Senior lecturer, Southern Cross UniversityClaire Moran, PhD Candidate, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1038282018-10-07T18:52:13Z2018-10-07T18:52:13ZPeer mentoring program shows promise for preventing African youth violence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239286/original/file-20181004-52678-ng84h4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Participants in a new peer mentoring outreach program aimed at reducing crime in the African community in Western Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/03/is-melbourne-in-the-grip-of-african-gangs-the-facts-behind-the-lurid-headlines">Recent episodes</a> of violence among Australian youth of African descent have been a topic of mounting concern for politicians, the police and African communities alike.</p>
<p>The Australian public is divided on the issue. Some believe these violent acts are isolated cases that are being <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-media-are-to-blame-for-racialising-melbournes-african-gang-problem-100761">hyped by the media</a> to create moral panic. Others argue that authorities are <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/cant-pretend-no-sudanese-gangs-turnbull/news-story/ca128866f065a2c055bb9d26031d1a39">downplaying concerns</a> over so-called “African gangs” and question the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/there-is-a-problem-tony-abbott-questions-all-african-immigration-amid-gang-violence-debate-20180725-p4ztmh.html">integration</a> of all African migrants in Australia.</p>
<p>According to ABS data, Sudanese people have the <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/sudanese-prisoners-lead-crime-rate-numbers/news-story/0e31f3eea3f5d87d2a53547fefc7b257">highest imprisonment rate</a> per capita of any ethnic group in Australia. But incarceration has not been an effective deterrent in reducing crime – many young people reoffend after returning to the community as they lack relevant support systems and opportunities to reintegrate. </p>
<p>Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/peter-dutton-threatens-to-deport-african-gang-members/news-story/7f1a81b18789abd0e239ef1c75a5a4b2">proposed a more radical solution</a> to the problem – deporting criminal offenders. Some parents and guardians have resorted to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-28/south-sudanese-parents-sending-kids-to-africa-to-avoid-crime/8064540">sending their children back to Africa</a> to keep them out of trouble. </p>
<h2>A new peer-oriented approach</h2>
<p>But there may be another, less drastic way forward – peer mentoring. </p>
<p>Peer mentoring is considered an effective vehicle for communicating values to young people as they are more apt to listen and learn from like-minded youths in their communities rather than authority figures.</p>
<p>In 2017, the non-profit <a href="https://oacwa.com.au/">Organisation of African Communities of Western Australia (OAC-WA)</a> launched the <a href="https://oacwa.com.au/stop-the-violence/">Stop the Violence Project (STVP)</a>, whose mission is to identify youths in the African community at risk of committing crimes and match them with peer mentors who can steer them out of trouble.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-media-are-to-blame-for-racialising-melbournes-african-gang-problem-100761">Why the media are to blame for racialising Melbourne's 'African gang' problem</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The program is being implemented in two phases. Phase One was dedicated to training 18 young Africans between the ages of 18 and 29 to become peer mentors. </p>
<p>This training involved a six-month program where they learned about WA criminal law, conflict resolution, the importance of self-esteem and identity, the history of African migration to Australia, the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, financial management, the value of formal education and leadership skills. </p>
<p>The program is now in Phase Two, which involves the mentors going out to their respective communities to share violence prevention and conflict resolution techniques. A second batch of mentors is currently being recruited, as well. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239284/original/file-20181004-52691-1omdl65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The first induction of mentors in the Stop the Violence Project.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Cultural differences revealed</h2>
<p>Edith Cowan University has designed an evaluative case study to examine the impact of the program. In the first part of the study, focus groups have been conducted with program facilitators and mentors before and after their training.</p>
<p>The discussions have so far focused on the nature of violence committed by African youths, the impact the program has had on the mentors’ lives and the readiness of the mentors to engage with their peers.</p>
<p>The study identified three main forms of violence occurring among African youth: inter-African country violence (for example, conflicts between sporting clubs of different African countries at sporting events); inter-ethnic or tribal conflict; and fights between groups over specific territory in their communities.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sudanese-heritage-youth-in-australia-are-frequently-maligned-by-fear-mongering-and-racism-89763">Sudanese heritage youth in Australia are frequently maligned by fear-mongering and racism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This helped the mentors understand the dynamics underpinning violence in their communities and develop more effective strategies for combating it.</p>
<p>The focus groups also revealed that many mentors were themselves unaware what types of behaviours constituted a crime in Australia. As a couple of the mentors explained to us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I didn’t know that touching a person could be a crime and the law is against it … back home, we touch people freely … but it’s not OK here.</p>
<p>I knew about resolving conflict, but I would do it my own way, which usually involved the use of force. But the facilitators … explained them systematically in a way that made sense and is very applicable to us. I have learned that before violence breaks out, it goes through stages before escalating into aggression. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The mentors are now beginning their outreach into their communities. The impact of the mentoring on their peers will be evaluated, particularly where the peers are under 18. </p>
<p>Some of the mentors are organising seminars and workshops for their peers, at times also including their parents, the WA police and other community organisations. One mentor has launched cultural dance sessions as a way of keeping young people off the streets, while another is running a support program for African youths who have returned from detention, to help them reintegrate into the community. </p>
<p>Overall, the mentors report that they feel better equipped now to relate with their peers, recognise when an innocuous argument is likely to lead to violence and deescalate tensions when they do arise. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>At first when I see violence about to start or people arguing I was confused and didn’t know what to do. But I have learned techniques to calm them down.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A positive impact in other communities</h2>
<p>Peer mentoring programs have proven effective in preventing youth violence in other countries. According to <a href="https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/37250/3/Bradley_Jeffrey_2018_thesis.pdf">one survey</a>, at-risk youths who took part in the <a href="http://www.bbbs.org/">Big Brothers, Big Sisters</a> program in the US were 32% less likely to hit another person, 46% less likely to start using drugs, and 27% less likely to start drinking alcohol. The program also showed other benefits, such as better school attendance and improved relationships with parents.</p>
<p>Another study looking at a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/youth-crime-prevention-programmes/what-these-programmes-are-and-how-they-work">Youth Inclusion Program</a> in the UK found a 62% decrease in arrest rates and a 27% reduction in suspensions from school among a test group of 50 at-risk youths. </p>
<p>Our hope is the Stop the Violence project can achieve similar positive outcomes in Perth and perhaps be replicated in other communities in Australia. This depends, of course, on the outcome of the pilot program and the continued support from the community and funding from the government.</p>
<p>Our findings so far suggest we are on the right track, and Australian youth of African descent will be far better at communicating positive conflict resolution to their communities than tough-on-crime politicians.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103828/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kwadwo Adusei-Asante receives funding from Edith Cowan University Industry Collaboration Grant</span></em></p>A new crime prevention program in Western Australia is training young Australians of African descent to become peer mentors to at-risk youths in their communities.Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Senior Lecturer, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1007612018-08-01T01:46:10Z2018-08-01T01:46:10ZWhy the media are to blame for racialising Melbourne’s ‘African gang’ problem<p>Just before Channel 7 aired a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jul/09/channel-sevens-african-gangs-beat-up-prompts-fear-among-african-australians">Sunday Night</a> special devoted to Melbourne’s “African gangs” problem earlier this month, the race discrimination commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, went on Twitter to criticise a promotion spot as “fear-mongering and racial hysteria”.</p>
<p>The same could be said of a string of stories in the Australian media in recent months on violent incidents committed by “African gangs” or people of “African appearance”. The death of a 19-year-old Sudanese woman at a party in Melbourne earlier this month <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/witnesses-claim-menace-to-society-african-gang-members-gatecrashed-party-where-laa-chol-died/news-story/c4a0ad39a52d95793058bb62e189087a">was linked in some reports with gang violence</a> – something Victorian police <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-23/melbourne-womans-death-not-related-to-gangs-police-say/10025066">ruled out</a>. Even a <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/gatecrashers-run-amok-at-sweet-16-birthday-party-in-melbournes-reservoir/news-story/0c96d778cb1b7c7c572fd522636da10f">gate-crashing incident</a> at a teenager’s birthday party this week was deemed a news story of national importance by The Australian due to the culprits’ racial identity.</p>
<p>Such media coverage is, sadly, something African-Australians have been exposed to before - it seems to have popped up regularly in some form over the past ten years, at least. Before this, it was the Lebanese who were said to be forming menacing gangs, and before them, the Vietnamese and the Italians. The Australian media have a poor record in dealing with difference and diversity.</p>
<p>The central issue here is not that violent incidents are being covered – it’s the media’s duty to report on issues of public safety. The problem is the disproportionate amount of attention focused on the so-called African gang problem in Melbourne and the way these incidents are being discussed. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1022748172194537472"}"></div></p>
<h2>The power of labels</h2>
<p>Among the universe of labels available to describe these crime incidents in Melbourne, the media have, predictably, fallen back on the familiar ground of racial or national identity. Seemingly unconcerned with the great diversity that defines Africa, the label “African gangs” has become lazy shorthand for anyone of African descent. One wonders whether a white person from Africa would be included under this “African gangs” umbrella. </p>
<p>One of the questions many migrants have is why their nationality, race and cultural background has become such a defining feature in crime coverage when the whiteness of other criminal offenders is essentially ignored and rendered invisible. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sudanese-heritage-youth-in-australia-are-frequently-maligned-by-fear-mongering-and-racism-89763">Sudanese heritage youth in Australia are frequently maligned by fear-mongering and racism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton perhaps inadvertently <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/sudanese-gangs-a-major-law-and-order-problem-says-dutton-20180722-p4zsyb.html">suggested</a> last week when he railed against “a major law and order problem in Victoria” that wasn’t happening elsewhere, why haven’t the media blamed these incidents on “Melbourne gangs”? </p>
<p>Or, while we’re at it, why not call them “male gangs” or, as has sometimes been used in an attempt to include non-black offenders, “youth gangs”? </p>
<p>Of course, none of this would improve the media coverage of the recent Melbourne violence. These labels are just as useless in describing the complex mixture of social, cultural and economic factors behind these offences as a focus on racial identity. As the Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane has said, there’s not even consensus on whether “gangs” have been involved at all. </p>
<p>But at least these alternative labels would carry less of the injurious baggage that racial labels do.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230134/original/file-20180801-136676-14tu5e6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">African-Australians say unfair media coverage is inflaming racial tensions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ellen Smith/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Race equals identity</h2>
<p>Not only do racial labels implicate all Africans in violent crime, they also keep alive that most pernicious of links between race and behaviour. If the race of offenders is the only part of their identity worth mentioning in news reports, then it stands to reason this has a causal link with their behaviour. Other complex factors that contribute to crime get ignored.</p>
<p>Journalists may argue that in the rush of their overworked lives, they seldom have the time to explore these types of stories in more depth. They certainly don’t have time to gather information on the offenders’ upbringing, background, education, socioeconomic status and their past experiences with violence and injustice – perceived or otherwise. </p>
<p>But why then consistently fall back on race and nationality? Perhaps it is something about these young offenders’ backgrounds – a source of “cultural incompatibility”, in the language of soft racism. But many of these offenders are legally Australian. Many were likely born in Australia or spent their formative years in Australia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/racist-reporting-still-rife-in-australian-media-88957">Racist reporting still rife in Australian media</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The damage caused by all of this is real, and the fact that politicians, <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/melbournes-sudanese-gangs-are-real-says-turnbull/news-story/422db0dded3541a6b25cda4e9220cfb0">including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull</a>, are buying into such narratives is a point of anxiety for Australians with African heritage. </p>
<p>This type of bias has been shown to have <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/race-discrimination/projects/our-own-words-african-australians-review-human-rights-and#project">negative impacts</a> on the wellbeing and sense of belonging of African-Australians. </p>
<p>Indeed, some Sudanese-Australians now live in fear of <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/south-australia/sudanese-australians-blame-politicians-for-sick-racist-messages/news-story/0266eddba25e3d9a101dca658145e61f">racially charged attacks</a> due to the overwhelmingly negative media coverage. As one 19-year-old African-Australian <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/any-nationality-is-able-to-commit-crime-hundreds-rally-against-african-gang-media-coverage/news-story/db60a2daac388bca85a9bdd4e4b5ad61">put it</a> at a rally outside Channel 7 last weekend:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The damage that it’s doing to our community is inconceivable. I want the wider Australian community to see the pain we are going through, and understand the pain. All we want is a fair go in this society. To show who we are as people and … not lazy journalism.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1023413759996440576"}"></div></p>
<h2>Alternative voices in the media</h2>
<p>It seems inevitable this sort of media coverage will continue - it has a long history. It is also not simply the fault of individual journalists, many of whom are hard-working, intelligent and conscientious. Rather, it is the result of far more entrenched attitudes toward race in Australia, one that involves objectified notions of racial or cultural hierarchies and a newly reinvigorated politics of fear of migrants.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/shock-horror-the-big-end-of-town-has-finally-discovered-australias-media-is-a-whitewash-63809">Shock horror: the big end of town has finally discovered Australia's media is a whitewash</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As researchers at the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural in the UK pointed out 40 years ago, journalists do not sit outside their cultural and political contexts, but often <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2017/02/journalism-identity-stuart-hall-taught-170228105012994.html">reflect and reinforce</a> them.</p>
<p>One way of changing the narrative is through social media, community media and ethnic minority media. Whether it be the subversion of the “African gangs” problem on Twitter, or in the <a href="http://www.africamediaaustralia.com/what-victoria-police-is-saying-about-african-youth-offending/">media</a> produced by people of African heritage, alternative interpretations do exist. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1016291364756025344"}"></div></p>
<p>It’s also incumbent on mainstream media to give a voice to those in the African community who feel impacted by biased reporting. Some news outlets <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/why-do-the-media-demonise-african-australians-20180710-p4zqoh.html">are doing this</a>. But it’s equally important these media organisations take a hard look at their coverage of these issues and the power of the words they use. Media are not the cause of racism, but they do have the power to shift public attitudes and increase understanding in society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100761/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Budarick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The problem is the disproportionate amount of attention on the so-called African gang problem and the way these incidents are being reported.John Budarick, Lecturer in Media, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/897632018-01-10T19:34:04Z2018-01-10T19:34:04ZSudanese heritage youth in Australia are frequently maligned by fear-mongering and racism<p>Recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/03/is-melbourne-in-the-grip-of-african-gangs-the-facts-behind-the-lurid-headlines">criminal incidents</a> in Melbourne involving young people of African heritage have enabled the media and politicians such as <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/victorians-scared-to-go-to-restaurants-at-night-because-of-street-gang-violence-peter-dutton-20180103-h0cvu4.html">Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton</a> to again capitalise on the opportunity to demonise those of African descent in Australia. </p>
<p>This has become a common occurrence, traceable back at least to the media reporting of the murder of South Sudanese Melburnian Liep Gony in 2007. The then immigration minister, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/andrews-howard-deny-racism/2007/10/04/1191091276214.html">Kevin Andrews</a>, responded by restricting the numbers of refugees resettled in Australia, citing “African gangs” and the failure of African refugees to integrate.</p>
<p>Reporting after the 2008 murder of Daniel Thongjang Awak in Adelaide suggested that his death was <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-11-13/community-leaders-to-meet-over-stabbing-death/204690">tribal and gang-related</a>, despite no evidence to prove this.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-degree-doesnt-count-for-south-sudanese-job-seekers-64667">A degree doesn't count for South Sudanese job seekers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>After the murder of Alex Ngong Akol in Adelaide in 2009, his alleged criminality was used in an attempt to justify his murder and the Sudanese community was <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14725843.2011.614415">likened to grieving chimpanzees</a>.</p>
<p>More recently, the “Apex gang” in Melbourne has been <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/two-apex-gang-members-reveal-why-they-joined-the-group/news-story/a2915034ec29038572ea8d6890478404">portrayed by the media</a> as a violent gang of predominantly young African-heritage men. Clarifications were later given from those including Victorian Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane suggesting that they <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/has-the-apex-gang-been-mortally-wounded-20170220-gugziq.html">were not a gang</a>, but a culturally diverse group of youth connected through social media. </p>
<h2>Child soldiers or Aussies</h2>
<p>Media and political discourse about South Sudanese and African-heritage young people positions them with deficits. It depicts them as having experiences of trauma and war or as child soldiers, and having low levels of literacy and education.</p>
<p>This line of thought holds that this results in their supposed inability to integrate into Australian society and their predisposition to violence and criminality. </p>
<p>Almost none of the young people currently accused of criminal behaviour are in the age-bracket to have been born or lived in Sudan. Most families who were resettled in Australia had been living in refugee camps or as urban refugees in Kenya, Uganda or Egypt for at least ten years prior to arriving in Australia.</p>
<p>Therefore, most of the current youth (aged 15-24 years) are unlikely to have experienced war directly or been child soldiers. </p>
<p>Since the mid-1990s, <a href="http://www.immi.gov.au/settlement/srf/">27,679</a> people who identify their birthplace as Sudan or South Sudan have migrated to Australia. South Sudan became an independent country in 2011 after more than 20 years of civil war between northern and southern Sudanese.</p>
<p>The second civil war in Sudan, which ran from 1983 to 2005, <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/uscr-country-report-sudan-statistics-refugees-and-other-uprooted">resulted in</a> the death of more than 2 million people and the displacement of more than 4 million. </p>
<p>A small number of those displaced by this conflict were resettled in Australia under Australia’s Humanitarian Entrant Program for refugees. The peak period of resettlement of Sudanese-born refugees was from 2003 to 2006.</p>
<p>Only about 3,000 Sudanese or South Sudanese born people have been resettled in Australia in the past ten years. A young person of South Sudanese heritage who is currently 20 years old was likely to be no more than eight when they arrived in Australia, meaning they have experienced most of their life and schooling in Australia.</p>
<h2>Impacts of education and employment</h2>
<p>While there is acknowledgement that there are young people of South Sudanese heritage who are engaging in criminal activity, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-04/statistics-raise-questions-about-calls-to-deport-youth-offenders/8087410">it is debated</a> as to whether the crime rates are any higher in this group than in the wider Australian population. </p>
<p>For those young people who are engaging in criminal activities, there are a range of underlying factors that must be tackled to improve future outcomes for this group.</p>
<p>For young people with South Sudanese heritage, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1426052">racism</a> is one of the key causes of early school-leaving and dropout. A study of refugee youth arrivals (more than 60% African heritage) found that school completion rates <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12134-016-0503-z">for refugee students</a> are significantly lower (62%) than for other Australians (86%). </p>
<p>One of the key predictors of school completion was experiences of discrimination. Little is being done in many schools and communities to tackle underlying racism. If anything, current media and political discourses further fuel racism and discrimination.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/south-sudans-famine-is-the-fallout-from-a-spiralling-ethnic-war-73411">South Sudan's famine is the fallout from a spiralling ethnic war</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Despite some of the early educational challenges, South Sudanese Australians are successfully completing tertiary education in significant numbers. But this is not transferring into professional employment. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/a-degree-doesnt-count-for-south-sudanese-job-seekers-64667">A recent study</a> in the ACT found that while 42% of the 72 South Sudanese participants had tertiary qualifications, 96% of this participant group were seeking employment – with many unemployed or underemployed, despite their qualifications.</p>
<p>The unemployment rate in the South Sudanese community is 28.6%: five times the national unemployment rate <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/programs-and-publications/community-information-summaries/the-south-sudan-born-community">of 5.7%</a>. This unemployment rate impedes integration to the Australian community. Research from the <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/10/hiring-discrimination-against-black-americans-hasnt-declined-in-25-years">US</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/sep/26/employees-on-workplace-racism-under-representation-bame">UK</a> suggest the need for urgent investigation of the impact of racism on the employment of South Sudanese in Australia.</p>
<p>Underpinning media portrayals and educational and employment outcomes is a key theme. Call it what you like – racism, discrimination or simply not fitting the mould of what people like Dutton would have you believe is Australian.</p>
<p>By propagating a fear of “African gangs” with the comment that <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/victorians-scared-to-go-to-restaurants-at-night-because-of-street-gang-violence-peter-dutton-20180103-h0cvu4.html">“people are scared to go out to restaurants of a night-time”</a>, Dutton feeds discourses of white nationalism where the black African “other” cannot belong in Australia.</p>
<p>Many Melburnians have rebutted this negative discourse, filling Twitter feeds with <a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/dutton-ridiculed-for-saying-melburnians-were-scared-to-go-out/news-story/2c7497d00539ed19cbe4e8424eda83c3">#MelbourneBitesBack</a>, taking photos as they dine out in Melbourne.</p>
<p>However, the long-term impacts for the South Sudanese community are likely to be increased exclusion, fear and contempt, rather than what is really required for successful integration – a sense of belonging and inclusion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89763/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Baak does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Recent media reports of South Sudanese ‘crime gangs’ do nothing to offer young people what they most need: inclusion, acceptance and employment.Melanie Baak, Convener, Migration and Refugee Research Network, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.