Yesterday, while riding my bike, I rode past a figure who enthusiastically waved, “Hello!” Later on the same path I got some more cheery greetings and waves – a nice change from typical grunted replies in other places I’ve lived. All of these wavers were Aboriginal; the first a toddler wearing no more clothes than he was born in, the second a mob of adults. It got me thinking about prejudice and the assumptions I have grown up with. While Port Augusta’s Aboriginal population is 17% of the total, my home town’s is 0.1%. What we don’t know we fear. Without anything overtly said, in my childhood I somehow imbibed the collective presumption that those with dark skin are inferior to us. It is a hard thing to shake.

Perhaps, however, minorities are more understanding of each other and their differences. At Mass yesterday, our Iraqi priest commented on one of the photos on the powerpoint. It was taken by Anne, one of the Sisters of Mercy in my Port Augusta community, after the recent devastating fires near here. She captioned it with the words of the day’s psalm: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.” In the lower right corner of the picture you will see a sheep, venturing out into the burnt paddock. It seemed to me it was following the wrong way: into the black. Yet how biased we are by the English language! “Black sheep of the family”, “blacklisted”, “Black Plague”: they all signify something negative, undesirable. In contrast, the words of Psalm 51 are, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (white = pure). Our priest, however, jumped to no such conclusions. He said, “Isn’t it wonderful that the sheep is starting out anew to create new life.” Suddenly the sheep seemed courageous and the burnt paddock a place of fresh beginnings.

This evening as I emerged from the detention centre, a young Aboriginal lad called out, “Excuse me Miss, but have you seen my friends?” And he listed the names of the detainees that he had met at school, but had not been able to see during the holidays. I hope the world he grows up in will contain more of the concern he expressed and less racism. In short, that we look to the heart, not appearances. Jesus said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.” (John 7:24)