About Roberta Sykes

Dr Roberta ‘Bobbi’ Sykes (1943-2010) was a poet and author, a fierce advocate for Indigenous rights in Australia and a courageous ally, who was deeply committed to promoting Indigenous education opportunities through overseas study. She was also the first Black Australian to study at Harvard. Roberta’s legacy of activism, courage and a grassroots commitment to change is evident not only in the Roberta Sykes Scholarships delivered by Aurora to this day, but also in the many moments that defined Roberta’s life.  

Roberta became recognised as an activist in the lead-up to the 1967 Referendum, where she fought for the ‘yes’ vote to change the Constitution so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be recognised in the national census. In 1972, Roberta was one of the founders of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns of old Parliament House in Canberra.  

At the same time, Roberta established Black Women’s Action (BWA) alongside Sue Chilli, Marcia Langton and Naomi Myers. The group began by publishing an Aboriginal community newspaper, Koori Bina, which later became AIM (Aboriginal and Islander Message). Over time, BWA broadened its work and funded a number of small enterprises that were established by Aboriginal women.  

In an interview with The John Hopkins University Press, Roberta reflected on how the opportunity to study at Harvard came about. She explained that a Black American professor had visited Australia, and subsequently arranged for Harvard to invite Roberta into the postgraduate program – an invitation Roberta found overwhelming and emotional, because at the time, she did not have a western education.  

It took Roberta three years to gather the courage to go to Harvard. However, with only seven weeks before she was due to depart, the Australian Government pulled its funding for Roberta’s visit. BWA took action and raised the full set of funds in 1979, enabling Roberta to continue as planned. Roberta graduated from Harvard in 1984 with a PhD, making her the first Black Australian to graduate from an American university.  

Upon her return, Roberta became a consultant to government agencies, including the Commonwealth Office of the Aged, the NSW Department of Corrective Services, and those involved in the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. She published nine books, including two anthologies of poetry and the three-volume autobiography. Roberta was then awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in 1994 for her tireless work in advocating for the civil and political rights of Indigenous Australians.