08 Jan, 2021

Ebony’s story: I rise for First Nations people

Ebony Williams, First Nations Engagement Officer, Sydney WorldPride. (She/Her) 

Ebony Williams is a proud Wiradjuri and African American woman from Sydney. She’s recently started working at Sydney WorldPride.

“My role will be working very closely with the First Nations Creative Director to ensure that we provide the proper platform for our First Nations people and a programme that compliments them within Sydney WorldPride, a significant world event,” Ebony explains.

“I’ve worked on things like the Sydney 2000 Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, but Sydney WorldPride will be a unique opportunity for us to give queer First Nations people a huge international platform. 

“Mardi Gras is really important because it gives a lot of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from different communities right across the country an opportunity to come down to Sydney and be together. It gives them an opportunity to see the pride within themselves but also to be around other black fellas who are like them. 

“The Black Lives Matter movement is something very important to me right now. It’s highlighting a range of issues that people of colour deal with daily. Now is a time for us to leverage that focus and attention and come together to demand change.” 

“We need to provide opportunities and platforms for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQI+ communities. That’s something that’s driving me right now and something I’m looking forward on doing over the next few years as we plan for Sydney WorldPride.”