Aretha Brown

Aretha Brown, or Aretha Stewart-Brown (born 11 November 2000), is an Indigenous Australian youth activist, comedian, artist, and the former Prime Minister of the National Indigenous Youth Parliament.[1]

Aretha Brown, at the 2017 Invasion Day protest.

Brown has appeared doing talks, speeches and acknowledgement of country ceremonies for various organisations, including the ACTU, Landcare, Minus 18, Melbourne University, Jesuit Social Services, One Tree Foundation, Mission Australia, The Australian Shrine of Remembrance, Triple J and for the Australian College of International Surgeons.

Early life

Brown was born in Melbourne on 11 November 2000. She is the daughter of rock frontman Paul Stewart, of the Painters and Dockers, and the contemporary Indigenous artist Donna Brown.

The family moved to the small community of Nambucca Heads in northern New South Wales to be closer to their Gumbaynggirr clan, during her early childhood. They later returned to Melbourne for Aretha's education at Williamstown High School. She commenced an Arts degree in 2019 at Melbourne University.

Art and activism

Brown's art is inspired by her home in Melbourne's Western Suburbs and her journey as a queer teenager. Her first painting "Time is our our Side, You Mob" 2018 (shown) was selected for the 2019 Top Arts exhibition at the NGV.[2]

The exhibition showcases young artists’ exploration of contemporary issues.[3]

In 2014, Brown was selected to attend the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings in Turkey, as the Australian State representative,[4] acknowledging the Indigenous servicemen who fought during World War 1.

In 2017, Brown addressed an estimated 50,000 protesters in Melbourne on Australia Day at an Invasion Day rally, calling for the date of the national holiday to be changed.[5] She has spoken at the 2018 march and other NAIDOC events and marches since then.[6] Brown also attended the National Youth Parliament in Canberra, where she was chosen by 60 of her peers as the first female Indigenous Youth Prime Minister of Australia. In this role, she met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Opposition leader Bill Shorten and the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove. Tim Watts, Brown's local MP, publicly congratulated Brown in the House of Representatives for her achievements.[7]

She has appeared on ABC Radio Melbourne,[8] the national ABC News Breakfast program and on NITV talking about her achievements in Canberra. In 2017, Brown appeared in the ABC TV documentary Advice to My Twelve Year Old Self,[9] about Australia's female leaders.[10]

References
  1. "Australia, meet your new prime minister". ABC News. 5 June 2017.
  2. "Top Arts 2019 | NGV". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  3. Cunningham, Cheri (26 February 2019). "Top Arts 2019 – showcase of emerging young artist". Kiddiehood. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  4. "Australia, meet your new prime minister". SBS Language.
  5. "Indigenous activist Aretha Brown on changing the date, the education system and women who inspire her – Fashion Journal". fashionjournal.com.au. 19 March 2018.
  6. Indigenous Literacy Foundation (14 December 2017). "'Speaking Out' from a Melbourne School – Indigenous Literacy Foundation".
  7. "Aretha Stewart Brown is an emerging leader in the Indigenous community – Afternoons – ABC Radio". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  8. "Aretha Brown". Q&A. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  9. "MTV Australia". MTV.
  10. Wade, Matthew (29 August 2017). "The activist who could be Australia's first queer and Indigenous PM – Star Observer". starobserver.com.au.
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