Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellyincluded both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal young people. One teacher said itis important that they have positive relationships with white people, and oftenthis starts with friendships with their peers (HS I4). In many ways the schoolsetting was a place where Aboriginal students could practise making widerfriendships in preparation for entering the work force and the adult world.One young woman who had left school and was now working, reflected on thedifficulties she experienced initially in making non-Aboriginal friends as ayoung Aboriginal woman in a school with few other Aboriginal students.Below is a portion of our interview discussion that highlights (more effectivelythough our conversational style) her experiences 58 .She said;I think that one thing when Aboriginal girls and non - Indigenous girls gettogether is that they look for the negative. Always the negative comes firstand then they find the positives in people. But it is always the negativefirst. People hang back and it is always the discrimination being thrownon the table first. They say “This black person said this to me the otherday” or “these black people were drunk”. And I think, well I was not thatblack person you saw that was drunk on the street, or that person whoswore at you. What, you don’t think I get that too, that kind of thing? Howis it that one Aboriginal girl walking into a room gets that? But if they(the non Aboriginal girls) can overcome the negative and look at thepositives it is alright.So do you find that in most places that you go that people see you as anAboriginal person first, and then as a person? (JK)Yep. All the time.And what would you prefer? (JK)Me ... I am a person before I am an Aboriginal. If you say somethingback that is discriminating of course I am going to get offended, but if yousaid it in a way that wasn’t discriminating, I wouldn’t be offended. But itis always colour first, and then the rest.58 This also provides an example of the conversation style used in many of the interviews.277