âOur stories not only deserve to be heard, they deserve to be believedâ
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Aunty Geraldine AtkinsonCo-chair of the First Peoplesâ Assembly of Victoria.
May 14, 2021 â 3.48pm
May 14, 2021 â 3.48pm
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The lack of public consensus of our stateâs history has always been a roadblock to achieving a shared understanding between First Peoples and the broader Victorian community.
Truth-telling will be at the heart of the Yoo-rrook Justice Commission.
Credit:Joe Armao
For those of us who are in the privileged position to advocate for our people and enact change, the biggest barrier continues to be the questions surrounding the legitimacy of our struggle. That is why the search for truth and justice is vital.
Renowned teacher, writer, public speaker, activist, and artist Miriam Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann from the Nauiyu community in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory, has been named the 2021 Senior Australian of The Year.
Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann became the first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher in the Top End in 1975, when she became a principal in Nauiyu. She later became an art consultant for the Department of Education where she visited schools across the Northern Territory to advocate the inclusion of visual art as a critical element of every child s education.
When presenting her award, the judging panel said that it was her dedication to maintaining the cultural independence of her people and her role as a spokesperson for an Aboriginal worldview, that motivated the selection.