WARNING: this article contains names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Our 1960s curated collection features footage from the documentary Blood Brothers – Freedom Ride (1993), directed by Rachel Perkins. The documentary covers the events of 55 years ago when Rachel's father, Dr 'Kumantjayi’ (Charlie) Perkins AO, was the first Aboriginal person to attend university. He led fellow students from the University of Sydney on a 'freedom ride’ through rural NSW to expose racial segregation in Australia.
'the White person in austraLia must be educated'
This clip, which also features in the 1960s curated collection, features interview footage of Perkins from the 1960s as well as short clips from 1965 of white Australians sharing their responses about Aboriginal people. We also see students carrying a 'Student Action for Aborigines' banner.
While Australian students in 1964 were protesting in support of the American civil rights movement, Perkins argued they should become more aware of racial discrimination occurring in their own country:
