A new report from the African Australian Advocacy Centre (AAAC) published on Thursday documents how the growing, diverse diaspora negotiates systemic discrimination in education, employment, health and criminal justice settings.
The 78-page study, We Belong Here: Framework for Human Rights and Equity for Australians of African Descent, is being submitted to the government with the support of the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Authored by academics from RMIT, Southern Cross University and Western Sydney University, it takes up the 107 recommendations from the scathing UN Working Groups of Experts on People of African Descent report in December 2022 which outlined Australia's systemic racism towards Africans, and offers a collaborative blueprint.
Noel Zihabamwe, chairperson of the centre, came to Australia from Rwanda as a refugee to escape its brutal regime.
He said that regardless of the people's migration status those of African descent faced the growing pains of resettlement.
"This report is a wake up call for the Australian government to understand the vulnerability of those communities, especially those who are coming from refugee backgrounds," he said.
He outlined the specific challenges that affect his Rwandan community and how they extend to other African Australians.
"First is language barrier, second is mental health issues we come with and third is the loss of belonging," he said.
"We come here, we are alone, you don't have your uncles, aunties, neighbours - there's a lack of a community network."
Among its key findings, the report noted African Australians were disadvantaged and had limited access to care, culturally competent interventions and translated materials compared to the general population at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also found that Africans are particularly over-represented in immigration detention and that young people are also over-policed and constantly racially profiled.
But Mr Zihabamwe wants to create positive change, saying it will be driven from grassroots solutions.
He pointed to recent successes of African Australians breaking through on the sporting stage but also in fields such as medicine and the arts as examples of feeling more at home as they grab new opportunities.
"We want to change the image of Africans in Australia because we have many gifts that we can share with Australian society," he said.
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