This week on Let’s Talk…Referendum, Karen talks with community organiser, filmmaker, writer and artist Tarneen Onus Browne about the danger the referendum poses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and the violent ways that media commentary on the referendum is impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across the country.
From their own experiences navigating the violence of mainstream media in this country, Tarneen reflects on the importance of a clear-eyed analysis of the political stakes in this moment. They talk about what it means to grudgingly vote yes in the referendum as a harm minimisation measure: refusing to celebrate or accept grandiose claims of progress or transformation, while still attending to the potential impact of a no vote on oppressed communities.
Tarneen is a proud Gunditjmara, Bindal, Yorta Yorta person and Torres Strait Islander from Mer and Erub Islands.
Tarneen is living on the unceded land of the Wurundjeri peoples. They are a community organiser for Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, working on Invasion Day, Black Deaths in Custody, and Stop the Forced Closure of Aboriginal Community campaigns. They are a filmmaker, writer, and organiser.
