Emelda’s grandfather was kidnapped on a beach in Vanuatu and brought to Australia as a 12 year old boy to work in unspeakably harsh conditions on the sugar plantations of Northern Queensland. It’s a story that makes her a direct descendent of blackbirding - Australia’s forgotten slave trade. Her own life has been defined by identity, community and a healthy dose of black power.

Emelda Davis is the head of Australia’s South Sea Islanders - Port Jackson, the principal body advocating for the recognition of blackbirding and Australian South Sea Islander culture. | Producers: Bre Jones and Nicole De Palo

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