Ray Jackson’s Protest Posters Document 40 Years of Aboriginal Activism

Wiradjuri elder Ray Jackson, a lifelong Aboriginal rights activist in Australia, amassed a collection of protest posters over 50 years, and a selection of these are now on display at Sydney’s Numbers gallery. Jackson founded the New South Wales Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee in 1987 and was a consistent presence at the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy until his death in 2015.

The exhibition, titled Ray Jackson Doing Time with Penrith Miers Archive, features posters gathered from rallies, protests, union meetings, and film screenings.

Jackson’s granddaughter, Madika Penrith, a Wiradjuri/Yuin/Gumbaynggirr archivist, and her partner Sam Miers run the Penrith Miers Archive, preserving Jackson’s legacy. The exhibit runs until August 2nd, offering a visual record of four decades of Aboriginal activism in Australia.