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Aboriginal Adolescents’ Experiences of Racism
Report   Open access

Aboriginal Adolescents’ Experiences of Racism

Rebecca Bennett (she/her), Jessica Brand, Jamie Everingham, Rebecca Gillis, Bep Uink, Yin Paradies, Gregory Martin and Ashleigh Lin
Community Report from Phase 1 of the Racism and Allyship in Aboriginal Youth Spaces (RAAYS) Study: Aboriginal Adolescents’ Experiences of Racism Study 2026
Kulbardi Aboriginal Centre. Racism and Allyship in Aboriginal Youth Spaces (RAAYS)
2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60867/00000133
pdf
AAERS_REPORT_20267.04 MBDownloadView
Open Access

Abstract

If we are serious about ‘closing the gap’ in health and educational outcomes, we must address the forms of racism which hurt Aboriginal adolescents and add to these health gaps. Studies show that Aboriginal children and adolescents are at risk of experiencing racism, but their voices are not heard enough. Very few studies have asked Aboriginal adolescents directly about the racism they face, especially more subtle forms of racism. The Aboriginal Adolescents Experiences of Racism Study (AAERS) heard from Aboriginal adolescents about their experience of racism. It was led by Aboriginal researchers and community members, in partnership with non-Indigenous researchers. The study looked at the types of racism Aboriginal adolescents (aged 12–18) face in Western Australia. By examining the small, everyday ways racism shows up (called microaggressions), this report helps us understand how common these forms of racism are and where it happen. The AAERS study From 2022 to 2024, we talked with 51 Aboriginal adolescents from six high schools in Perth and the Southwest of Western Australia. Adolescents shared their experiences through yarning-style focus groups. The groups helped us learn about whether adolescents could pick up on subtle forms of racism aimed towards them in interpersonal settings, as well as more obvious, overt forms. Conversations also focused on identifying the different types of racial microaggressions participants experienced, the settings and who was doing the microaggressions, and the responses adolescents had after experiencing microaggressions. Notably, the adolescents who took part in the study did not necessarily use the term ‘microaggressions’ to describe their experiences of racism; we use this term throughout this report to be able to draw comparisons with international research and research done with Aboriginal adults in Australia. All findings contained in this report have been developed by the researcher team and members of the RAAYS Youth Advisory Group and Community Advisory Group.We found eight different types (i.e., categories) of microaggressions experienced by Aboriginal adolescents which were: People thinking we are criminals or do not belong (Assumption of Criminality and Second-Class Citizenship) People thinking we are not smart or important (Assumptions of Intellectual Inferiority or Inferior Status) People thinking all Aboriginal people are the same, do the same things and have the same experiences (Assumption of Universal Experience and Perpetuating Stereotypes) Mean or rude comments and racial slurs (Microassaults) Feeling isolated or left out of social situations (Environmental Microaggressions) Not respecting Aboriginal culture and ignoring Australia’s history (Invalidation or Negation of Culture/History/Racialised Reality) Not respecting Aboriginal identity (Invalidation of Cultural Identity) Expecting us to know everything about Aboriginal culture (Assumed Cultural Expertise) The most talked about type of microaggressions was people treating participants like criminals. People assuming that participants were cultural experts or that they were not as smart as other adolescents were also reported as frequently occurring. Most microaggressions happened at school, and classmates and teachers were often the ones doing them. However, participants also faced racism in public places, such as the shops and online.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#4 Quality Education
#10 Reduced Inequalities

Source: SDGs in the Output

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