Anne Pattel-Gray facts for kids

Anne Pattel-Gray is an Aboriginal Australian theologian and author. She is an expert in Black theology, which looks at faith and justice from the perspective of Black people. Anne is a descendant of the Bidjara people from Queensland. She was the first Aboriginal person to earn a PhD (a very high university degree) from the University of Sydney.

Early Life and Learning

Anne Pattel-Gray was born in Winton, Queensland. She is from the Bidjara/Kari Kari people. She was part of the stolen generation, which means she was an Aboriginal child who was taken from her family by government policies. She has a twin sister named Narelle. Their father left the family when they were 10 years old. Their mother, Jean, was a strong member of the Methodist Church and raised them in that faith. Her family went to the first Aboriginal church in Townsville, led by Rev Charlie Harris.

In 1995, Anne Pattel-Gray earned her PhD in Religion from the University of Sydney. Her research looked at how racism affected Aboriginal people in Australia. She was the first Aboriginal person to get a PhD from that university. In 1997, she received another special degree, a Doctor of Divinity, in India.

Career and Advocacy

From 1989 to 1998, Anne Pattel-Gray was the first executive secretary of the Aboriginal and Islander Commission for the National Council of Churches. She learned a lot from theologian and activist Charlie Harris. She believed he worked hard to make governments and churches responsible for their actions.

In 1998, she helped Charlie Harris organize "The March for Freedom Justice and Hope". This protest happened on 26 January and had over 40,000 people. It reminded everyone that Australia's history included the experiences of Aboriginal people. Anne Pattel-Gray later faced challenges in her work with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and the Uniting Church.

After this, Pattel-Gray went to India in 1998. She became a full professor at United Theological College, Bangalore until 2001. From 2003 to 2007, she was the Executive Director of Tauondi College, which is an Aboriginal college. She also held leadership roles in other organizations, including being Deputy Chairperson of Connecting Foster Carers in South Australia. Since 2015, she has been the CEO of Q Solutions. She also leads the Australian First Nations program at World Vision Australia.

Anne Pattel-Gray has been a leader on many boards. These include Adelaide North TAFE, the Kaurna Plains Child Care Centre, and the National Aboriginal Women's Alliance. She has also been a visiting professor at universities around the world, such as Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in India, and Harvard University in the US.

Pattel-Gray is a strong advocate for justice and fair representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In 1991, she was the first person to share details about the Stolen Generations at a big international meeting of the World Council of Churches in Canberra. She is known as an expert in Black theology.

In 2011, Pattel-Gray gave a speech at the Myall Creek Memorial ceremony. In 2016, she was a main speaker at a conference on Reconciliation in Norway. In 2019, she spoke at a conference about progressive religious ideas in Australia. In 2021, she gave the Northey Lecture on "Red Ochre Theology."

In August 2022, Anne Pattel-Gray was named Professor of Indigenous Studies and Head of the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Divinity. In July 2024, she was nominated for the role of President-Elect of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Writing and Ideas

Anne Pattel-Gray's first book, The Great White Flood: Racism in Australia, was based on her PhD research. This book looks at the history between churches, the government, and Aboriginal people. She argues that racism is linked to the long and complex relationship between the government and the church. She calls the invasion and taking of land the "original sin" that Australian churches need to address.

Pattel-Gray uses Black womanist theology from America to understand the experiences of Aboriginal women. She has also written about how important Charles Harris was to Australian Indigenous theology. She has pointed out that many male researchers did not recognize that some Aboriginal societies are led by women.

Personal Life

Anne Pattel-Gray is a mother of five children.

Selected Publications

Articles and chapters