Kulumbirigin Tiwi woman Mililma May has vocally changed her vote in this year’s the Voice referendum from no to yes.
Campaigning for the referendum for a First Nations Voice to Parliament has focused heavily on how it will impact First Nations people now and into the future.
It is this very campaigning which helped shaped Mililma’s vote and the reason for changing her no to a yes in the leadup to the referendum.
On this week’s episode of Blak Matters, Mililma joins Teela and MC and speaks about her work, her own experience of being arrested during a peaceful protest, and her journey in changing her vote in the referendum on the First Nations Voice to Parliament.
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“I was scared because I didn’t understand what a yes would mean,” Mililma said.
“I was fearful that a yes vote would somehow impact on my sovereignty or would somehow have negative repercussions for my people.
“It reached a point of simple logic. We’ve seen Royal Commissions come and go. We’ve seen bills and legislation come and go.
“We haven’t tried this before. Why don’t we try it? The no was really out of fear.”
In this chat, Mililma also brings to light her work with Uprising of the People, in which she is the CEO and co-founder of.
Uprising of the People helps support youth in the Northern Territory and to fight back again youth incarceration.
She also reflects on the time she was arrested for peacefully protesting in the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory in the closed gallery.
There’s a lot to unpack and to learn from in this week’s episode of Blak Matters. Head over to LiSTNR and catch the full episode now.
Blak Matters provides an inclusive, authentic exploration of First Nations issues from a First Nations perspective. Delivered as an honest but positive conversation between friends, MC & Teela Reid, in under 20 minutes. Listen now on the Listnr app.