‘If your aim was to hurt me, you’ve succeeded’: Stan Grant’s emotional final Q&A appearance
Stan Grant has delivered a blistering message of hurt and hope at the end of his final episode hosting Q&A.
The celebrated Indigenous broadcaster will now step away from the ABC in the wake of sustained and sickening racial attacks, including threats against him and his family, which he called out in a searing op-ed on Friday.
In it, he wrote of the barrage of abuse that erupted after he appeared as part of the ABC’s coverage of the coronation of King Charles III – a storm he said was whipped up by some in the media who distorted or misrepresented his views and remarks.
At the end of Monday’s show, an emotional Grant, who visibly shook during his four-minute address, delivered a pointed criticism of the media for sometimes being “a poison in the bloodstream of our society”.
And he blamed those media attacks for prompting his decision to “take time out” from his job.
“I’m not walking away for a while because of racism – we get that far too often,” Grant said. “I’m not walking away because of social media hatred. I need a break from the media. I feel like I’m part of the problem. And I need to ask myself how, or if, we can do it better.”
Grant admitted that he has learnt “endurance is not always strength” and “sometimes, our souls are hurting, and so it is for me”.
This is his address in full:
“Sometimes, we need to just take time out. Sometimes, our souls are hurting, and so it is for me. I’ve had to learn that endurance is not always strength. Sometimes, strength is knowing when to say stop.
“And to those who have sent messages of support – thank you so much. But I’ll be OK. Please, send that support and care to those of my people, and all people, who feel abandoned and alone, who are wondering whether they have a place in this country and who don’t have my privileges.
“To those who have abused me and my family, I would just say – if your aim was to hurt me, well, you’ve succeeded, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I must have given you so much cause to hate me so much, to target me and my family, to make threats against me. I’m sorry.
“And that’s what yindyamarra means. It means that I am not just responsible for what I do, but for what you do. It’s not just a word – it is sacred. It is what it means to be Wiradjuri. It is the core of my being. It is respect. It is respect that comes from the earth we are born into, from God, baiame.
“If I break that, I lose who I am. I am down right now. I am. But I will get back up. And you can come at me again, and I will meet you with the love of my people. My people can teach the world to love.
“As Martin Luther King Jr said of his struggle: ‘We will wear you down with our capacity to all love.’ Don’t mistake our love for weakness – it is our strength. We have never stopped loving and fighting for justice and truth – the hard truths – to speak in our land. Yindyamarra winanganha means to live with respect in a world worth living in.
“And we in the media must ask if we are truly honouring a world worth living in. Too often, we are the poison in the bloodstream of our society. I fear the media does not have the love or the language to speak to the gentle spirits of our land.
“I’m not walking away for a while because of racism – we get that far too often. I’m not walking away because of social media hatred. I need a break from the media. I feel like I’m part of the problem. And I need to ask myself how, or if, we can do it better.
“To my people – I have always wanted to represent you with pride. I know I might disappoint you sometimes but, in my own little way, I’ve just wanted to make us seen. And I’m sorry that I can’t do that for a little while.
“To my family – I love you. And to my mum and dad – balladhu wiradjuri gibir. Dyirrimadalinya badhu wiradjuri.”
Patricia Karvelas will step in temporarily to host Q&A, which next week broadcasts live from Sydney.
The ABC has committed to a full review in the wake of Grant’s revelations, including his claim that senior management failed to support him.
By quitting, that lets the bigots show they can hound someone out by their vitriol.
Surely by continuing, that would have shown that they are not a success.
I hear what Stan said (& if he felt he can’t go on, who am I to say otherwise), but this will only encourage them.
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