Walking With Truth, Not Away From It

There are moments in life where presence becomes more than attendance. It becomes a quiet act of acknowledgement, of listening, of standing in something larger than yourself. On the 19th of April 2026, joining the National Walk for Truth was one of those moments.

Walking alongside some of the First Nations leaders including, Travis Lovett on the lands of the Kulin Nation carried a weight that could not be ignored. Not a weight of guilt alone, but of responsibility. A responsibility to bear witness to truths that have too often been silenced, softened, or reshaped to fit more comfortable narratives. Truth, in this space, did not feel divisive. It felt necessary. Grounding. Long overdue.

What made this experience even more profound was that it was my first time walking through the Sacred Fire Ceremony held at Parliament House Melbourne. As the smoke filled the air, there was something deeply spiritual in the moment. The scent carried the essence of nature – earthy, grounding, almost ancient. It felt like stepping into something sacred. A space where the past, present, and future briefly met. The act of walking through the smoke symbolised more than ritual; it felt like a quiet release removing what no longer serves, cleansing the spirit, and entering with intention. There was a stillness in that moment that words can hardly capture, yet it stayed with me long after.

There was a quiet power in the collective presence. People from different walks of life, cultures, and histories moving together, not in perfect understanding, but in shared intention. It wasn’t about having all the answers. It was about choosing not to look away. About recognising that truth-telling is not an act of blame, but an act of restoration.

“To accept the invitation to walk together and take affirmative action, we must now listen and be guided by what we hear. This must happen on both an individual and societal level“
https://youthoffthestreets.com.au/2022/05/27/walking-together-towards-reconciliation/

And that’s exactly what it felt like. Not a protest filled with noise, but a movement grounded in listening to the Uncles, and Aunties of the land. In humility. In the quiet, sometimes uncomfortable, act of understanding truths that were never meant to be easy to hold. That day, walking in silence, I realised how rarely we truly listen in a unified manner rather than .

As I walked, I found myself reflecting deeply on the parallels between the histories of First Nations peoples here and the histories carried across many African communities. I must be honest – if I said I didn’t shed tears, I would be lying. Because to feel, even for a moment, the weight of pain carried for over 200 years and beyond is not something the body holds lightly. It sits with you. It moves through you. The echoes of Colonialism in Africa are not distant. They live in our structures, in our identities, in the generational stories we inherit and continue to unpack. Dispossession, cultural erasure, the reshaping of identity through external power – these are not isolated experiences. They are shared histories, though lived in distinct and deeply personal ways.

And yet, within that shared history, there is also shared resilience. A resistance that has never been fully extinguished. A reclaiming of voice, culture, and truth that continues to rise, despite systems that once sought to erase it.

Solidarity, in this context, is not performative. It is not about speaking over, or stepping in front. It is about standing beside. It is about understanding that acknowledging truth does not diminish anyone –it expands our collective capacity to move forward with integrity.

There is something deeply powerful about choosing to accept truth without letting it divide us. Not by ignoring its impact, but by allowing it to inform how we show up for one another moving forward. It is in this space that real connection is built not through sameness, but through respect, recognition, and shared humanity.

I am especially grateful to Victoria University and particularly to Fahit Tuncer for making space for this experience. Creating opportunities like this within the university setting goes beyond participation. It stands firmly in the belief that education must extend beyond classrooms. It must challenge, inform, and deepen our understanding of the truths that shape the world we live in.

The National Walk for Truth on the 19th of April 2026 reminded me that progress does not always come through grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with something as simple, and as profound, as walking together.

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1. 

   Hi Yaseen, Thank you so much for the thoughtful message. I’ve just uploaded a new blog reflecting on my participation…

2. 

   Deeply touching story beautifully written Saran.. hats off to your resilience. I am sure your parents are very proud of…

3. 

   Saran, I want to say thank you for sharing this vulnerable side of who you are and a glimpse of…

4. 

   This is so touching Saran, wow. We truly don’t know people’s struggle until we listen closely without judgement.

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