Fight for Liberty and Freedom

Here John Maynard explores the first successful all-Aboriginal activist group, the Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association (AAPA) in the early 20th century. Their demands centred on Aboriginal rights to land, citizenship, preventing Aboriginal children being taken from their families, and defending a distinct Aboriginal cultural identity. For the first time in Australia's history, Aboriginal people held street rallies, conducted regional and city meetings, and used newspapers as a political tool. Maynard explores the AAPA's formation, its platform and people, and the reasons it was stopped - by political forces.