This paper and my 2023 Wingarra Djuraliyin Public Lecture upon which it is based draw on my personal experiences of racism in the court room, at the hands of police and in the corridors of law faculties. The article is centred on overt and direct racism that the university failed to address, contributing to the isolation and exclusion of First Nations staff, including myself, and students. It argues that institutional and structural racism in the criminal injustice system is intimately connected to the racial injustices in law schools and universities. The toxicity of the academy and its lack of cultural safety for Indigenous staff and students needs to be confronted. Law schools in particular must reckon with their complicity in the system that failed Tanya Day, Veronica Nelson, Kuminjayi Walker and countless others. This is why I am still here. If I can educate future leaders to respect my people, I will. My ancestors and elders have faced adversity, so that I can achieve. It’s my turn.