Wiradjuri elder and activist Jenny Munro (b. 1956) became involved in community work when she moved to Sydney in 1973. That year she helped establish the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC), which sought to eliminate discrimination in the private rental market. Using a $500,000 grant from the Whitlam government, the AHC helped create a sense of belonging for people living in The Block, which became in turn became the centre of the civil rights movement in Australia. Four decades later, in protest against the proposed sale of The Block for commercial development, she established the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy. During 2014 and 2015 she lived there for 400 days, leading the campaign to preserve access to affordable housing for Aboriginal families and maintain The Block's significance as a site for First Nations self-determination, community and leadership.
At first glance it might appear that photographer and filmmaker John Janson-Moore's portrait of Munro was taken at a campsite on Wiradjuri country. In fact, it shows her outside the tent she occupied in Redfern for fifteen months, in the midst of a land rights battle fought in Australia's most populous city.
Purchased 2022
© John Janson-Moore
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