[01] Pay The Rent

I wanted to find a succint paragraph that summarises what Pay The Rent is, and why it is important. I started reading through their website and everything written there was important. So the following excerpt does not fully encapsulate their significance.

Pay The Rent program is organised by First Nations and non-First Nations people working together, as the Pay The Rent Grassroots Collective. This Collective is based on the lands of the Kulin Nation in Victoria, Australia, however we are a national organisation.

Australia is founded on land that was stolen from Indigenous people. The wealth that has been generated by that theft is disproportionately distributed. All people who live here today, or who have lived here in the past, have not benefited equally from the continuing dispossession of Indigenous people. Indeed, many are deliberately and profoundly marginalised from power and the spoils of colonialism.

Start paying the rent and read more.

[02] Decolonise Your Self - Ally Resource, by Aretha Brown

Conversation Cards For The Thoughtful Ally!
Since the failed 2023 Referendum, we as young Aboriginal people, have felt a deep shame and grief because we have felt a silence from our fellow Australians.
We believe our merch will help to reignite conversations around Aboriginal histories that will help to break harmful stereotypes about our people. We understand that tough conversations and self-reflection are necessary to be had, to foster real change and truth-telling. Teach Blak History!

Buy a set, and start having conversations.

[03] Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

This book is a beautiful story, and has been pivotal in understanding (and breaking) my colonised way of thinking. A simple story of a "strong man" whose life is dominated by fear and anger, Things Fall Apart is written with remarkable economy and subtle irony. Uniquely and richly African, at the same time it reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places.

Find at a bookstore, or check your local library.

[04] Jack Charles, by Jack Charles

Jack Charles has worn many hats throughout his life: actor, cat burglar, musician, heroin addict, activist, even Senior Victorian Australian of the Year. But the title he’s most proud to claim is that of Aboriginal Elder.
Stolen from his mother and placed into institutional care when he was only a few months old, Uncle Jack was raised under the government’s White Australia Policy. The loneliness and isolation he experienced during those years had a devastating impact on him that endured long after he reconnected with his Aboriginal roots and discovered his stolen identity. Even today he feels like an outsider; a loner; a fringe dweller.
In this honest and no-holds-barred memoir, Uncle Jack reveals the ‘ups and downs of this crazy, drugged up, locked up, fucked up, and at times unbelievable, life’. From his sideline as a cat burglar, battles with drug addiction and stints in prison, to gracing the nation’s stages and screens as he dazzled audiences with his big personality and acting prowess, he takes us through the most formative moments of his life.

Find at a bookstore, or check your local library.

[05] Bastardy, documentary

Provocative, funny and profoundly moving, BASTARDY is the inspirational story of a self-proclaimed Robin Hood of the streets. For 40 years and with infectious humour and optimism, Jack Charles has juggled a life of crime with another successful career - acting. Since founding the first Aboriginal theatre company in the 1970s, Jack has performed with Australia’s most renowned actors and directors in feature films, TV series and hundreds of plays. Filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson follows Jack over seven years - gradually blurring the line between director and accomplice as Jack continually traverses the criminal and acting worlds. However, the law finally catches up with Jack and when he faces a jail sentence he might not survive, he is forced to decide if he can go straight for the first time in his life. BASTARDY is the story of one man’s journey into the light.

Find somewhere to watch it.

[06] Talkin’ Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism, by Aileen Moreton-Robinson

In this ground-breaking book, Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson undertakes a compelling analysis of the whiteness of Australian feminism and its effects on Indigenous women. From an Indigenous woman’s standpoint, as a Goenpul woman and an academic, she ‘talks up’, engages with and interrogates western feminism in representation and practice.

Find at a bookstore, or check your local library.

[07] First Australians, documentary

The history of Australia from an Indigenous peoples' perspective, beginning with the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney and ending in 1993 with Eddie Kolki Mabo's legal challenge.

Directed by Beck Cole and Rachel Perkins. Watch it here.

[08] All My Friends Are Racist, TV show

In a survival-of-the-fiercest, two twenty-something black millennials decide it's time to call the racists out. They think it could cause a revolution, instead it causes a downgrade in lifestyle.

Directed by Bjorn Stewart. Watch it here.

[09] Black Comedy, TV show

A sketch comedy show by Blackfellas, for everyone. Featuring an ensemble cast of Indigenous writers and performers and many special guest cameo appearances as well.

Watch it here.

[10] Chidera Eggerue (the Slumflower)

Chidera Eggerue is a British Nigerian writer, and podcast host. Much of her writing is on feminist issues from a feminist perspective. That being said, she is not regurgitating feminist critiques from the 90s, or even early 00s. Eggerue's intersectional feminist perspective, as woman of colour, provides perspectives that challenge those feminist ideals upheld in white society.
Chidera Eggerue is worth following, reading, and listening to.
Her instagram here.
What a Time to Be Alone: The Slumflower's Guide to Why You Are Already Enough (book).
How To Get Over A Boy (book).
Pocket Power from The Slumflower: Know Your Worth and Act On It (book).

[10] Free Palestine Melbourne, activist group

Free Palestine Melbourne was formed in 2020 in Melbourne, Australia.
We are a group of activists, advocates and community mobilisers – both Palestinian and non-Palestinian – who’ve come together to coordinate solidarity action and community awareness-raising for a free Palestine.
We will use this page to keep people updated of all actions, events and activities happening in and around Melbourne, and regional Victoria, in support of all efforts for a free Palestine, and the human rights of all Palestinian people.
If you would like us to promote your event, or you would like to organise an event in Melbourne please do get in contact with us.

Learn more, and get involved.
Keep up to date and follow their instagram.

[11] Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, human rights organisation

Founded in 2001, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is Australia’s largest human rights organisation providing support to people seeking asylum.
We are an independent not-for-profit organisation whose programs support and empower people seeking asylum to maximise their own physical, mental and social wellbeing.
We champion the rights of people seeking asylum and mobilise a community of compassion to create lasting social and policy change.
The ASRC movement is proudly supported by a community of committed volunteers and supporters.

Learn more, and get involved.

[12] Clothing The Gaps, human rights organisation

Clothing The Gaps creates merch with a message that sparks conversations. We make clothes that influence social change by uniting people (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) through fashion and a cause.
We are committed to using our brand and platform to campaign, educate and elevate Aboriginal peoples' voices and causes.
As a certified Aboriginal business, social enterprise, and B-Corp, we use business as a vehicle to create social change.

Read more about their values and impact, as well as buying some clothing here here(if you have the means). Wear your values and show your support.