Aboriginal Black Power and the Rise of the Australian Black Panther Party, 1967-1972

by Alyssa L. Trometter

This book examines the Aboriginal Black Power movement and the eventual emergence of the Australian Black Panther Party in the 1960s and the early 1970s. By providing an examination of Black Power adaptation, focusing on its arrival in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland; examining those transnational ties that linked Aboriginal Black Power and the Brisbane Black Panther Party to American shores; and drawing conclusions from Australian media reportage and the responses of Australian security intelligence to the formation of the Black Panther Party, it provides a new understanding of its emergence in Australia. An original and central contention in this book is that Black Power in Australia was largely comprised of independently driven units due to issues of locality. Aboriginals adapted the rhetoric and methods of Black Power in the United States in different ways, distinct to their individual communities. Investigating the complex and varied process of developing Black Power in a uniquely Australian context, this book illustrates the fragmentation of Aboriginal Black Power, which was marked by its different leaders, protests and propaganda.

292 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Tim Briedis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, filled with rich insights into the global reach of Black Power and the Black Panther Party. It offers an original analysis of Black Power in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Community controlled programs were established across the East Coast, in legal aid and health care. Oral history offers fascinating glimmers into the life of the movement. A shame about the ridiculous price but that’s what libraries are for. Power to the people!