Roberta Sykes Scholar uses documentary to create change

Bronte Gosper is recording the histories of Aboriginal activism in Australia as part of her Masters in Oral History at Columbia University. The 2022 Roberta Sykes, Monash and AAA scholar is creating a documentary on the stories from the point of view of Aboriginal women.

“I wanted to record the histories and stories of Indigenous female activists who’ve worked to empower their communities, particularly in the years from 1980 to 2005,” she told the National Indigenous Times recently.”

“Political and legal structures across Australia have been so hard to penetrate for Indigenous people…so I think these are stories that don’t often get as much media attention in Australia.

“But they’re really important to tell through the eyes of women who were there and who have gone about making really consistent change for their communities and on a national level.”

Bronte completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne in 2017 before deciding to study at the postgraduate level in New York.

In her Roberta Sykes Scholarship application, Bronte reflected the strong community and activist roots of Roberta who set up the original scholarship in the 1970s. The Roberta Sykes Scholarship is awarded to outstanding Indigenous Scholars who will be future role models for Indigenous communities.

The Roberta Sykes Scholarship provides financial assistance to Indigenous Postgraduate students who wish to undertake studies at any recognised overseas university. The scholarship is offered for one year, but recipients may reapply for a subsequent year of the same program of study. Click here to find out more.