WoCA Book Club - Read Between the Lines featuring Another Day in the Colony by Professor Chelsea Watego

Women of Colour Australia (WoCA), Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisation advocating for a fairer and more equitable Australia for all Women of Colour is proud to present its second 'Read Between the Lines' event. 'Read Between the Lines' is dedicated to celebrating the works of First Nations women, Black women, Women of Colour, and people from minoritised and racialised communities. 

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Join us on Wednesday 26th October 2022 as we discuss ANOTHER DAY IN THE COLONY by Professor Chelsea Watego. This is a collection of deeply insightful and powerful essays in which Chelsea Watego examines the ongoing and daily racism faced by First Nations peoples in so-called Australia. Rather than offer yet another account of ‘the Aboriginal problem’, she theorises a strategy for living in a society that has only ever imagined Indigenous peoples as destined to die out.

Professor Chelsea Watego will be spending an hour with us on the night. Sarah Ibrahim, a commercial lawyer and experienced human rights lawyer will be facilitating the conversation with Chelsea. 

About the book

• Shortlisted, 2021 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards – Non-fiction
• Shortlisted, 2021 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards – Indigenous Writing
• Longlisted, 2022 The Stella Prize
• Longlisted, 2022 Australian Book Industry Awards – General Non-fiction Book of the Year

Drawing on her own experiences and observations of the operations of the colony, she exposes the lies that settlers tell about Indigenous people. In refusing such stories, Chelsea tells her own- fierce, personal, sometimes funny, sometimes anguished. She speaks not of fighting back but of standing her ground against colonialism in academia, in court, and in media. It's a stance that takes its toll on relationships, career prospects, and even the body.

Yet when told to have hope, Watego's response rings clear- Fuck hope. Be sovereign.

About Chelsea Watego

Professor Chelsea Watego is a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman with over 20 years of experience working within Indigenous health as a health worker and researcher. Chelsea’s work has drawn attention to the role of race in the production of health inequalities. Her current ARC Discovery Grant seeks to build an Indigenist Health Humanities as a new field of research; one that is committed to the survival of Indigenous peoples locally and globally, and foregrounds Indigenous intellectual sovereignty. She is a prolific writer and public intellectual, having written for IndigenousX, NITV, The Guardian, and The Conversation. She is a founding board member of Inala Wangarra, an Indigenous community development association within her community, a Director of the Institute for Collaborative Race Research, and was one half of the Wild Black Women radio/podcast show, but most importantly, she is also a proud mum to five beautiful children. 

Source: QUT

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FAQS

How much do tickets cost?
Nothing! This event is free but seats are very limited.

Why is it capped at just 20 participants?
To ensure we are able to build a safe space to share our individual stories and have truly meaningful conversations, we decided to cap the event at 20 participants.

Can I come even if I haven’t read the whole book?
Absolutely! You are welcome to join even if you haven’t finished reading the book. On the day, we will not only explore themes from the book but more importantly, hear individual lived experiences as those are the highest form of truth-telling.

Where can I buy the book?
The book is available in most major bookstores.

Where does my donation go?
Your generous contribution helps us host more book club events in the future! 

Are featured authors just Women of Colour?
Nope! We will strive to showcase a diverse range of stories to amplify the voices of marginalised communities no matter the demographic.

I can't come to this event, when is the next book club event?
We would love to have you at our next gathering. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss anything!

Got more qs? Please feel to email us at hello@womenofcolour.org.au



We acknowledge the Wallumattagal clan of the Darug nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Women of Colour Australia is situated. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and honour the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with whom we stand in solidarity. We acknowledge that as settlers on this stolen Aboriginal land, we are beneficiaries of the dispossession, genocide, and ongoing colonial violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We believe that it is our collective responsibility to help dismantle the structural inequities and systemic barriers oppressing the original inhabitants of this land. We are also painfully aware that this land was taken forcibly, without a Treaty or reparations made. We have taken a practical step towards honouring sovereignty by paying the rent – and we invite you to do so too. This land is and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded.