Fight for Liberty and Freedom: The Origins of Australian Aboriginal Activism

by John Maynard

This passionate exploration of the life of Fred Maynard, founder of the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) begun in 1924, explores the Aboriginal political movement drawn from these roots and reveals the commitment and sacrifices made by these Aboriginal heroes.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Indigenous, Politics

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another of those books I had to read for class; I only really read half before I had to submit the essay I was reading it for, but it was really good, so I wanted to read the rest of it in my own time.

Basically, it's an account of Aboriginal resistance in the 1920s, particularly about the influence of Black nationalism, the AAPA - an all-Aboriginal organisation - and Fred Maynard, a leading activist. In one of the early chapters there's a lot of fascinating stuff about links between Aboriginal activism and activism of other black peoples around the world. And at other points it talks about the leading roles played by women in the AAPA - that they weren't just politically dismissed the say women in many political organisations of the era were.

Basically, so interesting! And important to know about.