Ngarra Murray is a Wamba Wamba (Gourmjanyuk), Yorta Yorta (Wallitihica) and Dja Dja Wurrung (Yung Balug) women based in Melbourne. She is a National Naidoc committee member. @ngarrakatye

Aboriginal women are fighting for equal rights

“For at least 65,000 years and over 3,000 generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderwomen have carried the dreaming stories, songlines, languages and knowledge that have kept our culture and identity strong.

Our women were there at first contact and have stood firm – from the early days of the Aboriginal resistance. They went through a torrid cultural transition being subjected to the social, cultural, linguistic, and environmental destruction of our peoples.

They stood beside our men at the Torres Strait pearler’s strike, the Cummeragunja walk-off, the Pilbara pastoral workers strike, the freedom rides, the Wave Hill walk-off and in the frontline of the Aboriginal tent embassy.

They marched with our men in Sydney on 26 January 1938 at what would be Australia’s first civil rights protest – the day of mourning – a protest, a movement that would ultimately become our national Naidoc week.

They were pioneering women like Barangaroo, Truganini, Gladys Elphick, Fanny Cochrane-Smith, Evelyn Scott, Pearl Gibbs, Margaret Tucker, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Celuia Mapo Salee, Thancoupie, Justine Saunders, Lady Gladys Nicholls,Flo Kennedy, Essie Coffey, Isabel Coe, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Hyllus Maris, Edna Brown, Geraldine Briggs, Eleanor Harding, Naomi Myers, Faith Bandler, Mum Shirl, Ellie Gaffney and Gladys Tybingoompa. Women who stood tall and strong and raised their voices for truth and justice.”

Read the whole article here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/05/our-women-are-fighting-for-equal-rights-for-our-children-and-our-people