Photo courtesy of: Ayanna Egbarin
Foreword
July 2020
The initial panic of the global lockdown has exposed humans in all their vulnerability. At a micro level, we have been left sitting with our thoughts and reflections on what truly makes us tick. We have recognised the things we care about most and the things which we can leave behind. Many of us have also relearned the value of our everyday actions and how this has direct consequences on others - it’s been like a lightbulb moment which reminds us how one small action can have a real impact on a global problem.
When the lockdown happened, we too realised that depending on your financial security, social support and to some extent, your power and influence, not all of us are on a level playing field to survive this lockdown together. COVID-19 showed us that it does not discriminate but instead, that our own systems do.
It is now more than ever before that we can leverage these vulnerabilities to drive social change. The world has reset and we have the opportunity to step into it more consciously and responsibly and create a new norm. Individuals, communities and sectors are experiencing new challenges like never before and we need to get better at understanding why the structures aren’t there to support them and what can be done.
This project brings stories from people working hard to respond within their sectors and communities, despite some of the divisions and inequalities which have been exacerbated within this climate. They encourage readers to practice resilience in the face of vulnerability. Now that it is so acute in our collective consciousness that individual actions have direct consequences to a global problem, we must play our part in responding to the broader systemic problems that we have been confronted with in the first half of this year.
Albeit not a very lighthearted note to relaunch our first project with, we hope you enjoy our stories and that it shines some light at the end of the tunnel - happy reading xxx
Featured Stories
Live Storytelling featuring Molade Owoade on Black Lives Matter
The Role of Indigenous History in Australia
Motivations of a Young Refugee Couple