Sam Watson
Encyclopedia
Samuel William "Sam" Watson (born 16 November 1952) is an Australian Aboriginal
activist and a socialist
politician
. He is the grandson of Sam Watson who was of the Birri Gubba tribe. His grandfather worked in ring-barking
camps and saved enough money to hire a lawyer to release him from the Aboriginal Protection Act. He was one of the first Aboriginal people to achieve this status. Watson's son is the poet Samuel Wagan Watson
.
in the early nineties, Watson was involved in implementing the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
. The film Black Man Down is a fictionalized exploration of the commission's findings.
Watson has run as the candidate of the Socialist Alliance
in the 2004 and 2007 federal election in Queensland
. He was a candidate for that party at the 2009 state election
for the seat of South Brisbane
, running against the ALP state premier Anna Bligh
. Watson received 344 votes (1.36%). He represented the Socialist Alliance again as a candidate for the Senate
in the 2010 federal election, where he received 3,806 votes (0.12%).
, Watson is a deputy director at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland
and teaches two courses in Black Australian Literature. He is also a writer and a filmmaker. He has received honours for his 1990 novel The Kadaitcha Sung and acclaim for his 1995 film Black Man Down.
In October 2009, the supermarket chain Coles
announced that it would rename its house brand
line of "Creole Creams" biscuit
s following a statement by Watson that "the word Creole comes from a period when people's humanity was measured by the amount of white blood they had in their bloodstream. This is the same kind of thought that underpinned horrific regimes like the Nazis
.". This reading of the word "creole
" was rejected by the Australian academic linguist Roland Sussex
who could find no basis for this claim.
Fiction
Film
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
activist and a socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the grandson of Sam Watson who was of the Birri Gubba tribe. His grandfather worked in ring-barking
Girdling
Girdling, also called ring barking or ring-barking, is the complete removal of a strip of bark from around the entire circumference of either a branch or trunk of a woody plant. Girdling results in the death of wood tissues beyond the damage...
camps and saved enough money to hire a lawyer to release him from the Aboriginal Protection Act. He was one of the first Aboriginal people to achieve this status. Watson's son is the poet Samuel Wagan Watson
Samuel Wagan Watson
Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet.Samuel Wagan Watson was born in Brisbane, his family is Irish, German, Bundjalung and Birri Gubba...
.
Career
Through work at the Brisbane Aboriginal Legal ServiceLegal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
in the early nineties, Watson was involved in implementing the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody studied and reported on the high level of deaths of Aboriginal people whilst in custody after being arrested or convicted of committing crimes. This included suicide, natural causes, medical conditions and injuries caused by police...
. The film Black Man Down is a fictionalized exploration of the commission's findings.
Watson has run as the candidate of the Socialist Alliance
Socialist Alliance (Australia)
The Socialist Alliance was founded in 2001 as an alliance of socialist organisations and individuals in Australia, initiated by the Democratic Socialist Perspective and the International Socialist Organisation along with 6 other founding socialist organisations, to create greater left unity in the...
in the 2004 and 2007 federal election in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. He was a candidate for that party at the 2009 state election
Queensland state election, 2009
The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...
for the seat of South Brisbane
Electoral district of South Brisbane
The district of South Brisbane is an electoral district of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. The electorate encompasses suburbs in Brisbane's inner-south, stretching from East Brisbane to West End, and south to Fairfield...
, running against the ALP state premier Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
. Watson received 344 votes (1.36%). He represented the Socialist Alliance again as a candidate for the Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
in the 2010 federal election, where he received 3,806 votes (0.12%).
, Watson is a deputy director at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
and teaches two courses in Black Australian Literature. He is also a writer and a filmmaker. He has received honours for his 1990 novel The Kadaitcha Sung and acclaim for his 1995 film Black Man Down.
In October 2009, the supermarket chain Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
announced that it would rename its house brand
Store brand
Store brands are a line of products sold by a retailer under a single marketing identity. They bear a similarity to the concept of House brands, Private label brands in the United States, own brands in the UK, and home brands in Australia and generic brands...
line of "Creole Creams" biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s following a statement by Watson that "the word Creole comes from a period when people's humanity was measured by the amount of white blood they had in their bloodstream. This is the same kind of thought that underpinned horrific regimes like the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.". This reading of the word "creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
" was rejected by the Australian academic linguist Roland Sussex
Roland Sussex
Roland Sussex is an emeritus professor of Applied Language Studies at the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies of The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia...
who could find no basis for this claim.
Works
Drama- Oodgeroo - Bloodline to Country, 2009, ISBN 978-0908156870
Fiction
- The Kadaitcha Sung, Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, 1990. ISBN 978-0140111729, assisted by the Literature Board of the Australia Council
Film
- Black Man Down, Australia, April 1996, directed by Bill McCrow