Compass: Power to the People

Compass this week begins a three-part series, “Power to the People”, which looks at the social revolutions that have shaped our nation.

Power to the People is an immersive three-part series that explores how groups of everyday people have fought against social injustice and discrimination.

Sometimes through violence and heartbreak, but usually through fostering compassion and understanding, those relegated to the fringes of society have pushed for reform and acceptance. Interweaving archive, actuality and interviews, each episode of Power to the People is anchored by a presenter whose personal experience informs the narrative.

In the first episode, The Power of Belonging, screening Saturday 9 September at 6.00pm on ABC & iview, Kumi Taguchi looks at the waves of migration into Australia and changing attitudes towards our newest citizens. From Josipa and Frank – a European couple that met and married thanks to the Snowy Mountains Scheme, to Margaret – the granddaughter of Vietnam War refugees, Kumi introduces us to five migrants who call Australia home. Through their stories we explore what contributes to a migrant’s sense of belonging and how that enriches Australian society as a whole.

Next up, on Saturday 16 September at 6.00pm on ABC & iview, Stan Grant explores the Indigenous Rights movements of the sixties and seventies in Black Power. Looking back on pivotal events like the 1972 founding of the tent embassy and the Freedom Rides of 1965, Stan asks ‘how far have we come?’. Is there such a thing as an Indigenous nation and if so, how does it define itself? When are Indigenous people going to have equal rights?

And finally, on Saturday 23 September at 6.00pm on ABC & iview, Julie McCrossin charts the rise of the Australian LGTBQI rights movement in The Power of Love. Progressing from the criminalisation of homosexuality to the legislative and social changes brought about by the first Mardi Gras, we hear from the people who put everything on the line in the fight for equality. While identifying as other than heterosexual is more accepted in society today, the suicide rate of LGBTQI people is rising and the battle for marriage equality continues.

Gay & Lesbian Switchboard
Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

Begins Saturday 9 September at 6pm on ABC.