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Black Bum single work   life story  
Issue Details: First known date: 2018... 2018 Black Bum
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Black bum: these two words mark the first time I realised I was different because my difference was pointed out to me. I was five years old, in my first year of primary school in Canberra, and this small barb was thrown at me by another girl in my class. It hurt me emotionally and so I decided to hurt her back. I pushed her, and she fell to the ground. My five-year-old brain didn't record what happened next, though my Kindergarten school report - which still exists in my mother's albums to this day - outlines a girl who showed advanced capabilities in most subjects but who needed to learn how to 'control her temper'. I think it's reasonably clear to work out who was seen as the problem in this circumstance.'  (Introduction)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia Anita Heiss (editor), Collingwood : Black Inc. , 2018 12263094 2018 anthology life story autobiography Indigenous story

    'What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, attempts to showcase as many diverse voices, experiences and stories as possible in order to answer that question. Each account reveals, to some degree, the impacts of invasion and colonisation – on language, on country, on ways of life, and on how people are treated daily in the community, the education system, the workplace and friendship groups.

    'Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside newly discovered voices of all ages, with experiences spanning coastal and desert regions, cities and remote communities. All of them speak to the heart – sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.

    'This groundbreaking anthology aims to enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.' (Publication Summary)

    Collingwood : Black Inc. , 2018
    pg. 147-153
Last amended 5 Apr 2018 13:02:49
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