0/5

Airdate: Young & Black

The Feed looks at how it feels to be millennial and Indigenous in Australia today.

Ahead of National Reconciliation Week, The Feed is presenting a local doco Young & Black, that asks ‘How does it feel to be millennial and Indigenous in Australia today?”

This will be presented by Laura Murphy-Oates meeting with four prominent young Indigenous Australians.

The Feed’s Laura Murphy-Oates was born in the 1990s. Her life as an Indigenous Australian was supposed to be easier and more inclusive than generations before her. After all, it was the time of Mabo, the Native Title Act, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Deaths in Custody, the Bringing Them Home report and Keating’s famous Redfern speech.

However, it was also the first time we met One Nation’s Pauline Hanson, who said in her maiden speech that: “Along with millions of Australians, I am fed up to the back teeth with the inequalities that are being promoted by the government and paid for by the taxpayer under the assumption that Aboriginals are the most disadvantaged people in Australia”.

It’s now fifty years after the birth of reconciliation with the 1967 referendum, and this generation were supposed to inherit a very different society – but how did the dichotomy in public and political opinion affect Indigenous children of the 90s, how much has changed, and what (and who) is still the same?

Young & Black is a new 30 minute documentary special produced by The Feed team airing in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week, in which Laura meets four prominent young Indigenous Australians to unpack the truth about what it means to be young and black in Australia today.

Nakkiah Lui is a writer and comedian, best known for her work on Black Comedy. She is a proud Gamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander woman who isn’t afraid to bare all and speak her mind – whether it’s schooling a TV panel about modern racism, speaking publicly about domestic violence or confessing that one time she accidentally dated her cousin. She is passionate about comedy because it allows her people to tackle serious issues in an accessible way.

Geoffrey Winters is a Native Title lawyer and the young Liberal candidate who ran against Deputy Leader of the Labor party, Tanya Plibersek, in the most recent Federal election. He is now, but hasn’t always been, a proud Gamilaroi man. Winters had to find a way to accept his party’s policy on a plebiscite for marriage equality in order to have a chance at driving change from inside the system, something he is committed to achieving for Indigenous Australians.

Kirra Voller is a proud Wirangu musician-turned-justice campaigner, who was thrust into the national spotlight after the treatment of her brother in the now infamous Don Dale youth detention centre, was exposed by ABC’s Four Corners. In a way, Kirra blames herself for leading Dylan astray while they were growing up, but she was also his saving grace, singing to him (and the rest of the kids in the prison) down the phone line every night.

Otis Carey is a surfer, model, artist and a proud Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man. A few years ago he sued for defamation when a surfing magazine described him as “ape-ish”. He focuses now on educating the industry for the young fellas coming up the ranks behind him.

Join Laura with Nakkiah, Geoffrey, Kirra and Otis as they explore their unique Indigenous Australian experiences and discover what it’s really been like growing up as black millennials in the world today.

…On the power of comedy
“What I love about comedy is I think laughing is the best way to rebel. You know, I think laughing in the face of your oppressor is, is so incredibly powerful.” – Nakkiah Lui

…On activism versus politics
“There are two options – you can either stand on the outside and throw stones at it or get inside and fix it.” – Geoffrey Winters

…On family
“I remember the first night that he went out at night. It was because of me… I was responsible for Dylan that night and I probably led him down the wrong path” – Kirra Voller

…On being a role model
“The Indigenous surf community in Australia is growing so quickly… I just want to pave the way for them so it’s a lot easier for them to get to where they want to get to.” – Otis Carey

Laura Murphy-Oates is a Logie-nominated journalist and a 26-year-old Ngiyampaa Weilwan woman. She is a reporter and producer on The Feed, weeknights at 7.30pm on SBS VICELAND.

Tuesday 23 May at 7.30pm on SBS VICELAND.

Leave a Reply