All Leaders Are Readers ~ "Acts of Reckoning"
There is no force equal to the power of the First Nations Matriarchy.
"First Nations Matriarchs are healers, storytellers, keepers of our kids and truth-seekers. I am not referring to this matriarchy as a hierarchy of power like the white patriarchy; rather I recognise the moral force of authority instilled in kinships governed by the First Nations Matriarchy that binds our communities, countries and culture together."
"In my work as a lawyer and advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, the fire and fearlessness of Gladys Tybingoompa has continued to spark within me the courage required to campaign for a referendum to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution. This is the reckoning, the words meeting action, that our nation so desperately needs – a Voice that has always centred a balance between men and women; a Voice that values Blak women.
Teela Reid
And our belief that the Australian people
can change systems must be stronger
than our lack of faith in politicians.
Despite the growing distance between the nation’s people and the powerful few, we must not lose sight of our own capacity to see change through, as fearlessly as Gladys lived her life. We must be willing to argue our case with graciousness – as my great-grandmother Elsie May would have done. We must collectively care for our kinships circles as my nan Stella May does. And we sure as hell ought to remember that all those of the First Nations Matriarchy stood staunch, like the Warrior Women before them, knowing that all they did always was – and always will be – for the love of Blackfullas.As we move our nation closer to this crucial referendum process, we cannot be distracted by political rhetoric or empty promises. The mandate embodied by the Uluru Statement from the Heart is clear:it carves out a consensus position that articulates the way through the reckoning – as bumpy as that road may seem.In the spirit of our First Nations Matriarchs, I will continue honouring the reckoning that my ancestors started. As Aunty Pat Anderson AO once said to me on the campaign trail: ‘We fight on!’ ~ Teela Reid
Examining questions of history, truth-telling and decolonisation,
and revisiting colonial figures and their ongoing legacies,
Acts of Reckoning reframes the past in order to
form new futures –
and celebrates how much work is already underway.
Contributing Editor Teela Reid joins Editor Ashley Hay as
Griffith Review 76: Acts of Reckoning
opens a dialogue for diverse voices, opportunities and perspectives
to be articulated, examined and assessed
