Aretha Brown, or Aretha Stewart-Brown (born 11 November 2000), is an

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

Australian youth activist, comedian, artist, and the former

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the National Indigenous Youth Parliament. Brown has given talks, speeches and

acknowledgement of country A Welcome to Country is a ritual or formal ceremony performed as a land acknowledgement at many events held in Australia. It is an event intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to the descendants of a particular ...

ceremonies for various organisations, including the

ACTU The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...

, Landcare, Minus 18,

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

Jesuit Social Services Jesuit Social Services is a social change organisation established by the Australian Jesuits in 1977. Originally based in Melbourne, Australia, it has expanded to include outreach programs in New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Jesuit ...

, One Tree Foundation,

Mission Australia Mission Australia is a national Christian charity that provides a range of community services throughout Australia. It has its roots in the Brisbane sector of The British and Foreign Bible Society’s sub-committee, The Colporteur Society (1869), ...

, The Australian Shrine of Remembrance,

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

and for the Australian College of International Surgeons.

Early life

Brown was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

on 11 November 2000. She is the daughter of rock frontman Paul Stewart, of the

Painters and Dockers Painters and Dockers are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1982. Paul Stewart, singer-songwriter and trumpet player, Dave Pace (vocals and trumpet) and Mick Morris (vocals and sax) are all original members in the band which was n ...

, and the contemporary Indigenous artist Donna Brown. The family moved to the small community of

Nambucca Heads Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Nambucca Valley. It is located on a ridge, north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway. Its population at the was 6,668 (6,314 in t ...

in northern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

to be closer to their

Gumbaynggirr The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...

clan, during her early childhood. They later returned to Melbourne for Aretha's education at Williamstown High School. She commenced an Arts degree in 2019 at

Art and activism

Brown's art is inspired by her home in Melbourne's Western Suburbs and her journey as a queer teenager. Her first painting "Time is on our Side, You Mob" 2018 was selected for the 2019 Top Arts exhibition at the NGV. The exhibition showcases young artists’ exploration of contemporary issues. Brown's output in street art and murals extends to international representation of Australian Indigenous arts, including in the Australian Consulate in New York City and the Australian Embassy in Delhi. In 2014, Brown was selected to attend the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, as the

Australian State The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...

representative, acknowledging the Indigenous servicemen who fought during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 2017, Brown addressed an estimated 50,000 protesters in Melbourne on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

at an Invasion Day rally, calling for the date of the national holiday to be changed. She has spoken at the 2018 march and other NAIDOC events and marches since then. Brown also attended the National Youth Parliament in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, where she was chosen by 60 of her peers as the first female Indigenous Youth Prime Minister of Australia. In this role, she met Prime Minister

Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party an ...

, Opposition leader

Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian former politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2019. He also ...

and the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove. Tim Watts, Brown's local MP, publicly congratulated Brown in the House of Representatives for her achievements. She has appeared on

ABC Radio Melbourne ABC Radio Melbourne (official List of radio station callsigns in Victoria, callsign: 3LO) is an ABC Local Radio station in Melbourne, Australia. It began transmission on 13 October 1924 and was Melbourne's second licensed radio station after Radi ...

, the national

ABC News Breakfast ''News Breakfast'' is an Australian news breakfast television program. It is broadcast on ABC TV and ABC News channel from 6:00 am to 9:00 am AEST or AEDT on weekdays and is hosted by James Glenday and Bridget Brennan. The program is also ...

program and on

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...

talking about her achievements in Canberra. In 2017, Brown appeared in the ABC TV documentary ''Advice to My Twelve Year Old Self'', about Australia's female leaders.

References

External links

*https://www.minus18.org.au/index.php/articles/item/36-interview-aretha-brown *https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/top-arts-2019/ *https://www.thearethabrownshow.com/ *http://mpavilion.org/collaborator/aretha-brown/ *https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2019/01/26/not-every-indigenous-person-wants-change-date-aretha-brown {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Aretha Living people 2000 births 21st-century Australian artists 21st-century Australian comedians 21st-century Australian LGBTQ people 21st-century Australian painters 21st-century Australian women artists Activists from Melbourne Artists from Melbourne Australian Aboriginal artists Australian Indigenous rights activists Australian LGBTQ painters Australian women human rights activists Australian women comedians Australian women painters Indigenous Australian women Indigenous Australian LGBTQ people Queer artists Queer women