By Goya Dmytryshchak
An Indigenous and a Sudanese student from Williamstown High School will host a hip-hop spoken word event to aid the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The first female prime minister of the National Indigenous Youth Parliament, Aretha Brown made international headlines when she addressed an estimated 50,000 protesters in Melbourne on Australia Day calling for the date to be changed.
Aretha said she heard fellow student Gisma Pablo speaking at a rally last year against criminalisation of Africans in Melbourne and thought, “I would love to work with this girl in the future”.
The event, titled Baldwin 2.0, pays homage to African American civil rights activist and writer James Baldwin.
“I’m coming to this event wanting to engage the local mob and the Indigenous side of it,” Aretha said.
“The night is targeted to young people of colour. We’re pretty much doing a call-out to all the young mob in the area that want to get up and perform.
“It’s a mixture of musicians, spoken word, and for people that aren’t interested in doing poetry just to get up and make a speech, make a statement.
“It’s just a great little community event.”
Indigenous Literacy Foundation patron and Williamstown resident Andy Griffiths will appear at the event.
Baldwin 2.0 is on Sunday, September 23, at 7pm, at Centenary Theatre, 71 Railway Place North, Williamstown.
Tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door.
For more information visit the Facebook page for Baldwin 2.0: facebook.com/events/846258738917875/
Goya Dmytryshchak
