"Am I Black Enough for You?" A Talk by Anita Heiss

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Writer and activist Anita Heiss, one of the leading Aboriginal Australians involved in a highly controversial legal case involving Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act, will present a public talk on Wednesday, September 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at George Hall Room 227. Her presentation will be based on her recent book, Am I Black Enough for You?, a memoir that grew out of involvement in the case, considered one of the most sensational legal decisions in Australia during this century.

A well-known advocate for indigenous education in Australia, Dr. Heiss joined with others in charging a conservative newspaper columnist with breaching the Racial Discrimination Act when he called them "white Aborigines" who chose to identify as Aboriginal only to further their careers. He was found guilty. While the case was decided in 2011, it continues to make headlines in Australia as recently as August 2014, when attempts to change section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act were reversed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

In her book, Dr. Heiss charts her story of growing up with an Aboriginal mother and Austrian father and explains the development of her activist consciousness. She describes and examines her experiences as a modern woman in a country where ethnic and racial identity politics plays a significant role.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Ticket Information
Free

Event Sponsor
Dept. of Ethnic Studies and UH Press; cosponsors: Ctr for Pacific Islands Studies; Dept. of Political Science; Dept. of Anthropology; Ctr for Biographical Res., Mānoa Campus

More Information
Carol Abe, UH Press, (808) 956-8697, abec@hawaii.edu, http://uhpress.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/heiss_uhtalk-flyerfinal.pdf

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