For Those Who have Grown Tired of the Fight

I'm tired of the fight. The fight of little me sparking hope that one day this world will be a better place. The fight of little us standing for people over profit and shouting, "STOP! You will not win."

But you see, they are winning. Our Aboriginal brothers and sisters are still dying in police cells, While narratives are spun to the media about what happened. But we know the truth. They torture innocent people who have suffered so much already, fleeing for their lives for hope of a better life. A woman is dying every week at the hands of a man she loves, or once loved, and we do not protect her. The black dog and anxiety are plaguing our people -- yet we offer band aid solutions -- which don't promote recovery -- leaving people hopeless -- until they are so tired they end it all.

The hierarchy is set. White, male, educated, wealthy at the top. Take away one of each of those characteristics and you drop down a scale. Take them all away and you don't count. Your voice doesn't get heard. It's like an ant shouting to the white man at the top of a skyscraper. They don't hear you. They don't even see you. And eventually they squash you.

What hope is there? These systems are built on lies. Patriarchy, white supremacy, stigma. So we seek to dismantle those lies, day by day, little by little, bit by bit.

We are emptying the ocean with an eye dropper. But it looks just a few litres less deep than it did yesterday. And maybe there could be a ripple of change coming.

Never doubt that a group of committed citizens could change the world. It is, in fact, the only thing that ever has. Keep fighting. Stand tall. We will overcome. We must do this. Persist.

Emily is a renowned community connector, advocate for women, Asset Based Community Development advocate and leader in her local community, recognised for her work as the Local Woman of the Year in New South Wales in 2016. She has delivered training and workshops all around Australia, empowering communities to address gender based violence and discover the inherent dignity and worth in everyone.

See all previous articles and poems by Emily Messieh