This week, Chelsea & David dive into the relationship between Indigenous critical race theory and the long and proud tradition of Aboriginal community-led organising, activism and grassroots struggle on this continent. They kick off with an older interview with Widjabul Wia-bal activist and organiser Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, reflecting on the insights she learned from growing up in a strong tradition of Aboriginal community organising. Then we turn to two recent conversations with Kurdish activist and organiser Roj Amedi and diaspora Palestinian writer and activist Tasnim Samak at the 2025 National Symposium Unifying Anti-Racist Theory and Practice, where they reflect on what they’ve learned from grassroots movements and community organising, and how those lessons have shaped their understandings of race, colonialism, power, and transformation in the colony.

Reading list

Sammak, Tasnim Mahmoud. ‘Indigenous There, Settlers Here: Palestinians in Australia’. Overland Literary Journal, 16 July 2025. https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/nakba70/essay-tasnim-sammak/.

Passing the Message Stick resources: https://passingthemessagestick.org/

Amedi, Roj. Murrawah Maroochy Johnson on Climate Justice, Sovereignty and Self-Determination | Assemble Papers. 10 March 2017. https://assemblepapers.com.au/2017/03/10/speaking-for-country/.

Boe Spearim. Let’s Talk with Roj Amedi. n.d. https://triplea.org.au/roj-amedi/.

Credits

Recordings and Production: Some of the podcast materials are drawn from Triple A Murri Country’s Let’s Talk Black Politics and Black Knowing, recorded in the studio between 2023-2024, hosted by Professor Chelsea Watego and Dr David Singh in addition to excerpts from QUT Carumba Institute’s National Symposium Unifying Anti-racism Research and Practice, all of which were produced by Anna Carlson.

Music: We wish to sincerely thank Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra for granting permission for free use of ‘Live, Laugh, Decolonise’ and ‘Eat the World’  

Production & Sound Design: BlakCast Productions

Artwork: graphic by Rachel Apelt, Artbalm.

This podcast was supported (partially) by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Discovery Indigenous Projects funding scheme (project IN210100008). The views expressed herein are those of the presenters and are not necessarily those of the Australian Government or Australian Research Council.

This week, Chelsea &amp; David dive into the relationship between Indigenous critical race theory and the long and proud tradition of Aboriginal community-led organising, activism and grassroots struggle on this continent. They kick off with an older interview with Widjabul Wia-bal activist and organiser Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, reflecting on the insights she learned from growing up in a strong tradition of Aboriginal community organising. Then we turn to two recent conversations with Kurdish activist and organiser Roj Amedi and diaspora Palestinian writer and activist Tasnim Samak at the 2025 National Symposium Unifying Anti-Racist Theory and Practice, where they reflect on what they&rsquo;ve learned from grassroots movements and community organising, and how those lessons have shaped their understandings of race, colonialism, power, and transformation in the colony.
Reading list
Sammak, Tasnim Mahmoud. &lsquo;Indigenous There, Settlers Here: Palestinians in Australia&rsquo;. Overland Literary Journal, 16 July 2025. <a href="https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/nakba70/essay-tasnim-sammak/">https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/nakba70/essay-tasnim-sammak/.</a>
Passing the Message Stick resources: <a href="https://passingthemessagestick.org/">https://passingthemessagestick.org/</a>
Amedi, Roj. Murrawah Maroochy Johnson on Climate Justice, Sovereignty and Self-Determination | Assemble Papers. 10 March 2017. <a href="https://assemblepapers.com.au/2017/03/10/speaking-for-country/">https://assemblepapers.com.au/2017/03/10/speaking-for-country/</a>.
Boe Spearim. Let&rsquo;s Talk with Roj Amedi. n.d. <a href="https://triplea.org.au/roj-amedi/">https://triplea.org.au/roj-amedi/</a>.
Credits
Recordings and Production: Some of the podcast materials are drawn from Triple A Murri Country&rsquo;s Let&rsquo;s Talk Black Politics and Black Knowing, recorded in the studio between 2023-2024, hosted by Professor Chelsea Watego and Dr David Singh in addition to excerpts from QUT Carumba Institute&rsquo;s National Symposium Unifying Anti-racism Research and Practice, all of which were produced by Anna Carlson.
Music: We wish to sincerely thank Matt Hsu&rsquo;s Obscure Orchestra for granting permission for free use of &lsquo;Live, Laugh, Decolonise&rsquo; and &lsquo;Eat the World&rsquo; &nbsp;
Production &amp; Sound Design: BlakCast Productions
Artwork: graphic by Rachel Apelt, Artbalm.
This podcast was supported&nbsp;(partially) by the Australian Government through the&nbsp;Australian Research Council's&nbsp;Discovery Indigenous Projects&nbsp;funding scheme (project IN210100008). The views expressed herein are those of the presenters and are not necessarily those of the&nbsp;Australian Government&nbsp;or Australian Research Council.

Join your favourite “nerds on the frontline” Professor Chelsea Watego & Dr. David Singh as they embark on an ambitious new podcast to showcase the power and possibility of Indigenous critical race theory. 

Over 13 jam-packed episodes, Chelsea & David examine key concepts and ideas in Indigenous critical race theory to help listeners learn to “read the play” in the ongoing war on race. They dig into big questions about the ethics of anti-racist research and practice. They foreground the importance of working from Aboriginal terms of reference, and the power and joy of building intellectual collectives grounded in Indigenous Intellectual Sovereignty. 

Expect incisive interviews, gut-punch analysis, and the occasional belly laugh as Chelsea & David grapple with the life and death stakes of race in the colony and the work that mob across the continent are doing to fight back.

Join your favourite &ldquo;nerds on the frontline&rdquo; Professor Chelsea Watego &amp; Dr. David Singh as they embark on an ambitious new podcast to showcase the power and possibility of Indigenous critical race theory.&nbsp;
Over 13 jam-packed episodes, Chelsea &amp; David examine key concepts and ideas in Indigenous critical race theory to help listeners learn to &ldquo;read the play&rdquo; in the ongoing war on race. They dig into big questions about the ethics of anti-racist research and practice. They foreground the importance of working from Aboriginal terms of reference, and the power and joy of building intellectual collectives grounded in Indigenous Intellectual Sovereignty.&nbsp;
Expect incisive interviews, gut-punch analysis, and the occasional belly laugh as Chelsea &amp; David grapple with the life and death stakes of race in the colony and the work that mob across the continent are doing to fight back.

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