Charles Perkins Flashcards
who was charles perkins and when was he born/ where
Charles Perkins was a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Rights activist, born on June 16, 1936, and died October 18, 2000). He was born in Alice Springs.
what were the monumentous acts he completed and their dates.
1950-1957: one of the first to claim national recognition as an Aboriginal Australian. With the Croatian club, Adelaide and the Pan-Hellenic club, Sydney, he opened opportunities on a field predominantly played on by white people.
May 1996: He was also the first Aboriginal person to graduate university in May 1996, coming out from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts.
1984: Finally, in 1984, he became the first Aboriginal person to be the Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra.
explain the purpose of the freedom ride and it’s length
The Freedom Ride was a 15 day bus ride through regional NSW with the intention of drawing attention to racial discrimination involving poor living conditions and rules of segregation in public areas of regional towns. The ride was headed and organized by Charles Perkins, containing 30 students from Sydney University part of an organization called SAFA. SAFA stands for Student Action for Aborigines.
what were examples of what was seen onthe freedom ride
*they noted “Houses of tin, mud floors, very overcrowded, kids had eye diseases, had to cart water (very unhealthy) from river” in the home of the Wiradjuri people.
* They made stops along the way, for example, stopping at a RSL in Walgett and standing outside holding placards saying, “Acceptance, Not Segregation” “End Colour Bar” “Bullets did not Discriminate” “Walgett - Australia’s Disgrace” “Why Whites Only” “Educate the Whites”. When they left the town, their bus was rammed off the road by a local in anger. * They also stopped in Moree where they discovered the segregation of black kids not being allowed in public swimming pools, and consequently managed to change this.
how many towns did they visit on freedom ride
9
what did charles do for the referendum
Charles was the manager for the Foundation of Aboriginal Affairs, giving him a prime position to continue being a leader for the movement. As he’d already gained national and international recognition, distributing pamphlets and advertisements and facilitating speeches and forums only further solidified his place as a key political piece in the Yes campaign, with the constitutional amendment passing in the end. It boasted a significant 90.77% majority.
when was the referendum
1967
when was the fredom ride
Saturday 12 February 1965
what was he impact of the monumentous events (3 points)
*Charles Perkins proved to Australia and the world that Aboriginal people, although deemed less than and lacking in prowess by white people, can in fact gain the same achievements as the dominating demographic.
*He paved the way for other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and set a key example and mindset of “if he can do it, then why can’t we?”
*This hope he instilled many times only complemented his overall significant impact in the movement.
impacts of freedom ride (3 points)
*First of all, the immediate and long term impacts on the ride were pivotal for Aboriginal people living in the areas they visited. For example, they managed to desegregate a pool in Moree, and the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board even funded a housing programme for Moree.
*gaining international and national recognition on the ride set the stage for the later referendum. Perkins, as head of the ride, removed ignorance and educated Australia about issues Aboriginal people faced, making the dominant demographic very aware of the minorities’ problems and therefore aiding the later referendum.
*The Freedom Ride also put Perkins in the place of an influential activist, gaining respect and trust that he could later use in support of the Yes campaign and other amendments in favor of Aboriginal people.
impact on referendum
*Perkins had laid a stage to be instrumental in the 1967 referendum, and had successfully already brought publicity to the issues Aboriginal people faced. This made the whopping 90.77% of Australians voting ‘Yes’ much more likely.
*He had a place of power to distribute pamphlets and advertisements, work with other activists such as Faith Bandler, give influential speeches and collaborate closely with Aboriginal Foundations.
