Taylah Gray: creating social and legal change for First Nations people
Taylah Gray is a proud Wiradjuri woman from Dubbo who always felt she was destined for great things. Now, as the first identified Aboriginal person to undertake a PhD in Law at the University of Newcastle, she is truly living that destiny. Taylah’s impact extends beyond her years, at just 26 she is making waves in creating social change for First Nations people.
In 2020, during her fourth year of Law, Taylah oversaw the Black Lives Matter protest in Newcastle which saw 1000 Novocastrians march to address racial inequality, including black deaths in custody.
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Following the Supreme Court victory. Pictured from left to right: solicitor Sidnie Sarang, Black Lives Matter rally organisers Taylah Gray and Tameeka Tighe, and barrister Felicity Graham |
Attempts by police to shut down multiple Black Lives Matter protests – due to COVID concerns – were being seen as an effort to silence the movement. Believing strongly in the right to peacefully protest, Taylah took the matter to the High Court of NSW. An incredibly brave move as if she was to lose, Taylah would have been liable for all court and associated fees equating to over $20,000, as it was her name on the official form submitted to the NSW Police.
Driven by justice and a ‘just do your best’ attitude, Taylah pressed ahead, resulting in a historic win for the NSW Black Lives Matter movement, allowing the march to proceed.
As a result, Taylah has developed working relationships with some of the police offers from the Newcastle Police Department after seeing one of the police offers march in the protest and engage with the smoking ceremony – seeing this as a turning point.
After five years of dedication to her studies, Taylah was admitted as a lawyer on 24 of February 2021, at Newcastle City Hall. Passionate about standing up for justice, Taylah used this milestone as an opportunity to comment on racial bias in the Australian education system. In her social media post, she addressed First Nations youth highlighting the lack of consideration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in education; such as Aboriginal Studies being taught as an elective (instead of a compulsory subject), as well as a general deficit of Indigenous teachers.
“There isn’t just one thing that disadvantages Indigenous children. It’s multifaceted. The system is layered with disadvantage and oppression”.
Unapologetically passionate and determined, Taylah lives her life by her father’s words; a survivor of the stolen generation -“I think my father was my biggest encouragement because no matter what I did he would always say to me ‘just do your best’… and I think everywhere I go; I carry that mentality too - it doesn't matter what I do, just do my best”.
Despite failing her year 11 and 12 Legal Studies assessments, Taylah did not give up on her dreams. After completing Yapug Pathway Program in 2015, she qualified to study Law at the University of Newcastle; graduating at the top of her class in Advanced Legal Writing and Research.
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Image posted to Taylah's Instagram with the following caption: "They told me I was the first Aboriginal person to undertake a PhD in law at my University. I told them I sure as hell won’t be the last. Yesterday, I successfully defended my PhD thesis. I know that I stand on the shoulders of other Blak scholars. Thank you for paving the way and reminding us that our intellectualism and our ideas matter. This is Blackfulla scholarship. We do what we do, and we do it at the highest level. Always." |
Now well into her PhD, Taylah has focused her sights on Native Title law, looking at ways in which legislation and racist language has reduced Native Title rights since Mabo. Her ultimate goal in completing her PhD thesis is to “assist in providing solutions with economic theory. This will be in ways where First Nations people and non-Indigenous people can use the land together and do so in a safe way for everybody.”
As part of her work, Taylah will look into other countries and their processes, including Canada’s treaty with First Nations People, and how Australia can learn from these foreign jurisdictions.
Taylah’s experience as a Criminal Defense Lawyer at the Aboriginal Legal Service has allowed her to utilise her higher education to create social change for First Nations people.
“I am so connected to my community, my mob, and I have an obligation to other First Nations mobs to do better. My family never had the opportunity to do what I have. I’m the first to go to university in my family and it is motivation – it has set me up to be the type of leader, the type of person I want to be. Never looking down on people because I come from this community and I come from social housing”.
This remarkable start to Taylah’s career as a lawyer serves as an inspiration to those looking to follow in her footsteps, as a true change-maker in the Indigenous community. We anticipate that her work will have a meaningful impact on Australia’s legal system.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.