Stories

Can Counter-Storytelling Enact Black Justice? – (But why?)

This article is part of the Black Knowing series, a partnership with QUT’s Carumba Institute and IndigenousX. Jade Robertson explores, can telling our stories - truthfully, unapologetically - dismantle the systems that silence us?

Jailed at 10, Sheltered at 16: The Double Standards of Growing Up in Australia

Children as young as 10 can be jailed, and this is a symptom of a systemic failure that criminalises Aboriginal children and makes them more vulnerable to an unfair justice system. But in this recent discourse on teenagers’ interactions with social media, children are seen as impressionable, in need of protection, and too young to understand the potential harm of their actions. Shawna Pope writes, why is there such a stark difference in how Australia views kids, based on their race?

My Blood is Old

This article is part of the Black Knowing series, a partnership with QUT’s Carumba Institute and IndigenousX. Author’s note: This article was inspired by Uncle Graham Brady

Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Soar in NSW: A Growing Crisis of Injustice and Indifference

In 2024, twelve Aboriginal people have died in custody across New South Wales, Lindsay McCabe writes, this underscores a troubling rise in deaths and the ongoing failure to prevent them, despite decades of calls for change.

Sovereignty is a coloniser concept. We need Law in Country

Uncle Jim Everett - puralia meenamatta Elder and philosopher has been defending native forests in Tasmania from logging. In the face of colonial law, Uncle Jim writes, First Nations people need to honour our commitment to Country, and fight for the future of our lands, before colony-imposed climate change becomes a death sentence for our world.

Survivance: How can mob protect cultural narratives in our arts and practices?

Earlier this year, Wiradjuri Blak Queer artist Clinton Hayden was confronted with cultural and professional harm at the hands of an arts organisation he was commissioned to exhibit with. His experience, Clinton writes, is not an isolated incident, and shows a need for not just acknowledgement of cultural significance, but guaranteed survivance for First Nations artists and cultural practitioners in so-called Australia.

Stop asking us to explain, define or defend our Aboriginality

Danika writes of her experiences navigating academia and life, and the power of mob and the knowledges we hold. This article is part of the Black Knowing series, a partnership with QUT’s Carumba Institute and Indigenousx.

Why is there a lack of Indigenous participation in STEM?

During her study, Cecilia King has noticed she is one of a scarce number of Indigenous students in STEM. Here she interrogates Australia’s dark history which has contributed to ongoing barriers and issues for First Nations peoples’ interactions with STEM. This article is part of the Black Knowing series, a partnership with QUT’s Carumba Institute and Indigenousx.

Keeping the Fire Burning: Collective Resistance, Sharing Culture, Creating Community and Speaking Truth to Power

From colonised Australia to the ethnic-cleansing of Eelam Tamils and the occupation of Palestine. University students across the world have expressed their solidarity in standing against the genocide in Gaza. Here in so-called Australia, university students have been doing the same, with the establishment of camps on campuses. Udaya Shanmugam and Jaala Ozies share the stories behind the solidarity.

How fandoms create communities and support larger causes

“The power of the people is stronger than the people in power”, I first heard this quote when I was 14 at a youth climate…

The NT election is a lesson for Labor: Govern for the good of people and planet or make way for progressives who will

Historically, people elect Labor governments because they want better conditions for people and planet. Larrakia artist Laniyuk and Māori political organiser Te Raukura write, when Labor politicians prioritise policies that favour multinational corporations while neglecting vital public services, they lose trust and votes.

Caring for Country, Culture, and Language: The Life of Fabian Nasir

Readers please be advised this article mentions people who have passed away. Photos in this article, and this story was shared with permission from Fabian…

Lowering the age of criminal responsibility will not solve anything

It sometimes feels that for every small step forward we take with policy and law reform in this country it’s two steps back.  When just…

It’s time to stop defining Indigenous people by what we didn’t do.

Before white supremacy came to Australia, bringing with it invasion, colonisation, subjugation and any number of introduced diseases, Indigenous peoples had been living here for…

Beyond the Horizon: Imagining Utopian Indigenous Futures

There’s been a lot of talk about Indigenous futures lately, particularly faraway futures beyond the immediate time horizon. Indigenous futurism has been described as a form of activism that dismisses the idea of a still-colonised future, unsettling settlers by breaking free of colonial conditioning and refusing to be frozen in time. When asked to forecast the life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 2050, most of us are lost for words—this silence is telling, this silence is troubling, and this silence needs examining.

Frack Free Kimberley: Protecting Our Water, Clean Country, Healthy Community

The Kimberley region, known for its stunning landscapes and deep cultural significance, is under threat from fracking. Yisah Bin Omar, a Djukun woman, is supporting …

The Good Patient

When I go to Emergency, no matter if I’m in so much pain I can’t even stand straight, I always dress up. In the summer, I put on a lovely dress to sit in the hospital waiting rooms for hours on end, head resting on my mum’s lap, tears dripping onto the dirty white linoleum floor.

Reflections on Yoorrook and Palestine

Today (June 7th) marks the final day of the Yoorrook Justice Commission hearings investigating injustices in housing, health, education and economic life for First Nations peoples in Victoria. These hearings are providing space for First Nations peoples’ to give evidence in a larger act of Truth-telling, to acknowledge and hold account the institutions that contribute to genocidal and discriminatory practices. But, Sissy Austin writes, we can not be selective of which genocides we choose to be outraged over.

An IndigenousX Anthology – Reconcile This

A collection of reflections on perspective, resistance, advocacy, work and life written by a diverse range of past IndigenousX hosts.

Download Now
An IndigenousX Anthology - Reconcile This

Enquire now

If you are interested in our services or have any specific questions, please send us an enquiry.