Evelyn was born in 1935 in the Australian town of Ingham. Her lifelong commitment to social justice began in the 1960s, when she was discriminated against for wearing a wedding dress.
New Delhi: Today’s (May 28, 2023) Google Doodle reflects the picture of the Indigenous Australian social activist, educator, and campaigner Evelyn Ruth Scott AO. During this week of National Reconciliation, we remember and celebrate Evelyn, a dedicated advocate for Indigenous peoples’ rights. The greatest gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous leaders in Australian history, the Corroboree 2000 and Walk for Reconciliation took place on this day in 2000, under Evelyn’s direction. Samantha Campbell, an Indigenous guest artist whose ancestry may be traced back to the Katherine area’s Dagoman people, created the artwork for today’s Doodle.
Early life
Evelyn was born in 1935 in the Australian town of Ingham. Her lifelong commitment to social justice began in the 1960s, when she was discriminated against for wearing a wedding dress. Evelyn became involved in the 1967 Constitutional ‘Yes’ Referendum, a decade-long movement to include all Indigenous Australians in population counts, by joining the Townsville Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League.
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The success of the campaign inspired her to become the first general secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, where she had previously served as vice president. In 1997, Evelyn took the helm at the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation as its chair. Three years later, in 2003, she organised and led over 250,000 people on the Corroboree 2000 and Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to call for an apology to the Indigenous peoples of Australia. The Prime Minister finally issued an official apology eight years later.
By paving the way for future generations of Indigenous people, Evelyn helped unite all of Australia. Countless honours and medals, including the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 1977, the Centenary Medal in 2001, the Queensland Greats Award in 2003, and many others, attested to her illuminating achievements. In Parkes, ACT, a memorial was built for her, and a school named for her is still in operation to this day.
Google thanked Evelyn Ruth Scott AO for being such a strong voice in the movement towards peace. ‘Be a Voice for Generations’ is this year’s National Reconciliation Theme, and it calls on all Australians to speak up for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their illustrious past, present, and promising future. She died on September 21, 2017.