Why We changed our Name
From 1973 to 2021 this journal was known as Walkabout Creative Arts Journal, but from now on will be known as Meridian Creative Arts Journal.
We found out from one of the editors this year that the term ‘walkabout’ has a very derogatory connotation in Australia. An email from an editor in communication with an aboriginal person informed us that “the term was coined by white Australians to describe a rite of passage taken by adolescent Aboriginal boys. It has since been used as a racist term to perpetuate the stereotype that Aboriginal people are unreliable, aloof, etc. For example, if an Aboriginal person is late to a meeting, some may say that they’ve “gone walkabout.” (source) Even if it wasn’t a derogatory or colonialist term, the repurposing of any Indigenous terminology for a group of largely non-Indigenous and white people is appropriative and in poor taste.”
Although there was no malice behind the name, ignorance of the connotation and meaning of the term could have still resulted in harm. We apologize to those we have hurt, and we will strive to do better in the future.
I would like to thank the Aboriginal woman who took the time to educate us. She informed us of the meaning and provided a wealth of readings for us to learn more. She also suggested that we donate any profits to charities that serve aboriginal people. We have never profited from the journal because we receive our funding from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (and in the past the Creative Writing Department) and distribute the publication for free.
Regardless of not making money, changing a derogatory name and logo is the bare minimum. Real change comes in the form of supporting indigenous voices, spreading information, donating, voting, and always seeking education.
Your words must be supported by actions, so we ask you to consider donating to Pay the Rent. Pay the Rent describes itself as a “group as a grassroots-to-grassroots initiative; it enables funds to be contributed by individuals directly to grassroots causes and campaigns with a focus on protecting First Nations rights, including practical support such as sustaining a Funeral Fund.”
Thank you,
Emma Coughlin
Managing Editor (2019-2022)
‘Walkabout Tourism’: Is There an Indigenous Tourism Market in Outback Australia by Andrew Taylor, Dean Carson, and Doris Carson
Indigenous Mobilities: Across and Beyond the Antipodes edited by Rachel Standfield
We found out from one of the editors this year that the term ‘walkabout’ has a very derogatory connotation in Australia. An email from an editor in communication with an aboriginal person informed us that “the term was coined by white Australians to describe a rite of passage taken by adolescent Aboriginal boys. It has since been used as a racist term to perpetuate the stereotype that Aboriginal people are unreliable, aloof, etc. For example, if an Aboriginal person is late to a meeting, some may say that they’ve “gone walkabout.” (source) Even if it wasn’t a derogatory or colonialist term, the repurposing of any Indigenous terminology for a group of largely non-Indigenous and white people is appropriative and in poor taste.”
Although there was no malice behind the name, ignorance of the connotation and meaning of the term could have still resulted in harm. We apologize to those we have hurt, and we will strive to do better in the future.
I would like to thank the Aboriginal woman who took the time to educate us. She informed us of the meaning and provided a wealth of readings for us to learn more. She also suggested that we donate any profits to charities that serve aboriginal people. We have never profited from the journal because we receive our funding from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (and in the past the Creative Writing Department) and distribute the publication for free.
Regardless of not making money, changing a derogatory name and logo is the bare minimum. Real change comes in the form of supporting indigenous voices, spreading information, donating, voting, and always seeking education.
Your words must be supported by actions, so we ask you to consider donating to Pay the Rent. Pay the Rent describes itself as a “group as a grassroots-to-grassroots initiative; it enables funds to be contributed by individuals directly to grassroots causes and campaigns with a focus on protecting First Nations rights, including practical support such as sustaining a Funeral Fund.”
Thank you,
Emma Coughlin
Managing Editor (2019-2022)
‘Walkabout Tourism’: Is There an Indigenous Tourism Market in Outback Australia by Andrew Taylor, Dean Carson, and Doris Carson
Indigenous Mobilities: Across and Beyond the Antipodes edited by Rachel Standfield