Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker is a Wadjuk Noongar woman from Western Australia who studies Aboriginal identity and the self-esteem of Aboriginal children at Curtin University and is a community development practitioner with Koya Aboriginal Corporation.
When I went through school nobody shared anything about Aboriginal culture or history. Even as an academic, I went straight into the science streams at university so I didn't learn any of that history other than what we lived and were told by our parents. Little did I know that his original letter was in the museum. I read it and it still gives me goosebumps.When I think about the heartache and the challenges my people have been put through, I see my family as a great indicator of what's possible.
When Aboriginal people need to do something they generally go to the ones that will do the work, the leaders of the community or the ones that find it hard to say no.Noongar man John Kickett fought tirelessly for his children to have the right to an education at their local state school in the early 1900s.People don't realise how really time poor a lot of these families are and the people that are leading those families. I do feel people are really tired.
Having a voice and having the Yes campaign is one thing but we also have to see some successes out of the pain. Here's a great example. When I met this young Aboriginal girl, her mother — who is non-Aboriginal — said she needs help. Her daughter wanted to know her Aboriginal roots but her mother could not tell her.This young lady has been volunteering with the Koya program for probably eight years now. In the end she took over all my teams as the coach and I stood back. She was once a participant in the Djookian sisterhood club run for young ladies on Friday and Saturday nights.
Taking young Aboriginal people on a life journey from being stigmatised negatively to seeing and believing they are an amazing person with strengths, strategies for coping with challenges and flourishing in life is the best feeling in the world. The children are absolute medicine.Even though I said people like me are tired, when we see those moments when something clicks, it just keeps us going.And that's what I know the Voice can offer our people.