A Video Message to Oprah
December 08, 2010
One of Australia's most influential black women will give a
personal video message to Oprah Winfrey - one of the world's most
influential black women - to help shine a light on the third world
conditions endured by her people.
The Chairwoman of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, Bev
Manton, says she will provide a short video on the appalling living
conditions of Aboriginal people in rural and remote Australia to
highlight their plight when she meets Ms. Winfrey during her visit
to Sydney later this week.
"Aboriginal people in rural and remote Australia continue to suffer
third world conditions because they are basically out of the sight
and out of the minds of most Australians," Ms Manton says."
The video also highlights aspects of the Northern Territory
intervention, an Australian Government initiative which has caused
harm to Aboriginal people, and been branded racially discriminatory
by the United Nations.
Ms. Manton says she welcomes Ms. Winfrey's visit and the publicity
avalanche it will inevitably generate to a world-wide audience.
"I understand the importance of tourism to the Australian economy
and the importance of our culture and heritage to it," she
added.
"But I want Ms. Winfrey and her audience to fully appreciate the
plight of our people.
"I do not want her visit to come and go with a white bread
portrayal of our country....and given Oprah's history and charity
work I am sure it will not.
"I will simply ask Oprah to take a few minutes out of her time to
have a look at the video and appreciate the continuing
socio-economic and life opportunity gaps suffered by our people in
relation to the general well-being of most of their fellow
Australians.
"I acknowledge we have come a long way since our original
dispossession but the sad reality is that we still have a long,
long way to go to improve the social and economic well-being of our
people.
"I'm sure the video will be received in the spirit in which it is
being given.
"Oprah is clearly a person who uses her power and resources to help
those in need.
"I have a lot of respect for the work done by Oprah in relation to
civil rights and racism in America and the work done by the Oprah
Winfrey Foundation, her Angel network and associated charities,
particularly in building schools and providing educational
materials for underprivileged children in Africa and books for
underprivileged children in rural China.
"We can give no greater gift than access to education."
A short trailer of the video, entitled 'A Personal Journey' can be
viewed on the NSWALC website at /newsroom/videos.aspx
The full 15 minute version of the video will be released publicly
on December 20, at the conclusion of Ms Winfrey's visit.
* Bev Manton is the elected Chairwoman of the Sydney-based New
South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, Australia's largest
self-funded Aboriginal representative organisation. It supports a
network of 119 Local Aboriginal Land Councils across NSW with a
combined membership of more than 20,000 Aboriginal people.
It is dedicated to work for the economic and social independence of
Aboriginal people and provides a range of community benefit schemes
for Aboriginal people, such as its $30 million Education Endowment
Scholarship Fund.
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Munro 0438 760 242