Episode Ten: what unity means to writer and advocate Thomas Mayo
Unity: it’s something Thomas Mayo has thought a lot about in his life and work as a unionist, advocate and writer.
Thomas is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. Gentle and softly-spoken, he has come to embody unity in his work and in his life — first finding his voice on the wharfs of Darwin with the union movement, then becoming an acclaimed writer and powerful advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Today, Thomas is the National Indigenous Officer and Northern Territory Deputy Branch Secretary for the Maritime Union of Australia. He’s a champion for the Uluru Statement and the author and co-author of multiple books — including “Finding the Heart of the Nation” and his most recent, “Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons”.
His story is a testament to who we can be, and what we can accomplish, when we make unity more than a slogan, but a practice. This is a conversation about leadership, vulnerability and closing the gap between the world that we see, and the world that our children imagine already exists.
Show notes
Things we mention
“A letter to my nephew” published in The Fire Next Time essays by James Baldwin
Books by Thomas Mayo
Finding the Heart of the Nation: Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth
Finding Our Heart: A Story about the Uluru Statement for Young Australians
Freedom Day: Vincent Lingiari and the Story of the Wave Hill Walk-Off
Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons
Support the Uluru Statement from the Heart