This article was originally published on 1 September, 2025. Written by Alicia Vrajlal, with additional editing by Solen Kumar

Growing up in Australia as a second generation South Asian, I experienced racism more than I ever called it out. “Don’t rock the boat” or “they’ll grow out of it” were comments I heard from my parents and their peers in my teen years. After all, they’re of the first generation of South Asian immigrants in Australia, and there was more at stake from their perspective. Coming to this country from Fiji in the 1980s, my parents (both of Indian heritage) landed at Canberra airport with two suitcases, a 12-month working visa and one night’s hotel accommodation booked.

Their initial months, in fact years, working to build a comfortable lifestyle in Australia, were hard. Despite their limited material possessions or connections upon arriving in Australia, what my parents did have an abundance of was hope. It was hope that they could build a life for themselves and their future children in a country that promised opportunity and resources greater than their homeland. But, in order to maintain this hope and transform it into results of a better future, my parents – and many of their generation in the same situation – erred on the side of caution when it came to racial and cultural identity and politics. They didn’t deny their brownness or where they’re from, but they also didn’t overtly highlight racism when they experienced it first-hand, or witnessed it from afar.

This eagerness to assimilate is not a flaw of the first generation. Keep your head down, work hard, follow [a largely white] society’s norms and expectations. Don’t rock the boat, and don’t challenge the status quo. It was fitting for the time, given it was only a decade earlier that the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 had been introduced, making it illegal to discriminate against migrants based on their race. It was the last step in removing the traces of the ‘White Australia policy‘, which had been designed to limit non-white immigration to Australia.

Our parents did what they had to do in order to survive, and to make life easier for their children. It’s no wonder that many of that generation have encouraged their kids to dial down how vocal they are in calling out racism.

More than three decades later, racism not only stares straight into our eyes. It screams with no qualms. There’s no good or bad version of racism. From the microaggressions in the workplace or at school, to the abhorrent violence at Neo Nazi-led protests… it’s all bad.

I won’t shy away from sharing that there have been times in the past when I’ve second-guessed whether what I saw or heard was racist, and whether young South Asians have truly been othered or discriminated against based on the colour of their skin. While I could easily attribute this to my parents’ generation not speaking up enough (or discouraging us from doing so), I actually believe that modern media and wider society have helped shape this uncertainty.

In the decades since Pauline Hanson confidently told immigrants to “go back to where you came from” – thereby confusing a generation of second-gen kids who were born in Australia – there has been such a focus (rightly so) on the benefits of immigration and multiculturalism, that the undercurrent of racism in society has grown stronger away from the majority’s eyes, as invisible as a rip. This has led to questions that I’ve had over the years as I’ve failed to call out racism… as I’ve watched this bubble around me confirming how much everyone loves the migrant story.

“Maybe, it’s all in my head?”

“Maybe, I’m overreacting?”

“Maybe, I shouldn’t start an independent media company focused on the second generation South Asian experience. Maybe – despite Indians alone being the second largest migrant group – we’re insignificant. We don’t deserve to hold space, or to feel seen and heard.”

Nowadays, I’m not uncertain. I know racism is alive and thriving. Over the weekend, multiple anti-immigration rallies were held across Australia, some of which were attended by Neo Nazis. The protesters claiming that they weren’t being racist, but were instead just against immigration destroying “Australian culture”, were reminiscent of the Cronulla rioters claiming they were just “reclaiming the beach” back in 2005. While the 90’s have made a comeback, with living legends like The Backstreet Boys touring, and Kajol and SRK on the screen together again, I wish there were some parts of the 90’s that stayed there. Specifically the old, tired, baseless argument that immigration is the source of all of society’s current issues, rather than successive governments failing to plan and build with a long term future in mind. Seeing One Nation politicians condemn immigration was also a blast from the past I could definitely have lived without.

The display of violence and hatred is a solemn reminder of how deep this racism runs through the veins of bigots. Their hateful passion is unrivalled as they describe our very existence as wrongdoings, ignoring our valuable contributions to Australia’s economy and society, they have obviously never heard the hallowed words, “immigrants, we get the job done”. The very fact that Indians are the second largest migrant group is being weaponised against us – you only need to look at this video taken in Riverstone trying to argue that the Indian restaurants in the western Sydney suburb were somehow destroying the area’s culture. Local business owners and international students were afraid to leave their homes on Sunday. Meanwhile, Draw Your Box’s social media was met with a stream of racist comments towards Indians.

Given the decades-long amount of time that our parents’ generation has worked hard to respect a status quo and to prove their place in this country, there’s a sense that by now things should be different when it comes to racism. But they’re not.

As I write today, I reflect on why I’m sharing this. It’s not to make this about me. It’s not to point out that racism exists or to list ways to kick it in the guts. It’s an acknowledgment of the sadness felt across generations in the diaspora, as we realise time didn’t completely heal wounds born out of not belonging. The decades of time since our parents migrated didn’t turn Australia’s racist history on its head. Racism is more prominent and louder than ever before – and past decisions to stay quiet or not ‘rock the boat’ aren’t to blame for that.

What gives me the most hope is the new generation coming into its own – acknowledging older generations’ hardships, while now feeling confident in rocking the boat and calling out racism for what it is.