Why Did Charles Perkins Introduce The Freedom Ride In 1969

The Freedom Ride of 1965 was organised by Charles Perkins, who was one of only two Aboriginal students at Sydney University, after he observed the way that Aboriginal people were treated. He was an Aboriginal man from Northern Territory who had experienced racial discrimination throughout his childhood, having been sent away from his parents at a young age. It is predicted that Charles Perkins was motivated to organise the Freedom Ride and demonstrations around New South Wales after observing the way Aboriginal people were treated. Charles Perkins and the Freedom Riders were successful in promoting the cause due to the media coverage that they received and it lead to both long term and short term change as it affected the way that people viewed

After hearing of the success of the American Freedom Ride in 1961, he decided to organise a bus ride with several students of Sydney University to bring attention to the racial discrimination that was occurring in New South Wales. In the 1960s, Aboriginal people, although they had been citizens since 1947, were treated poorly. They were forced to live on the outskirts of town, with no plumbing or electricity and with houses located closely to rubbish dumps and sewerage plants. Indigenous Australians were not allowed access to places such as hotels, cafes, swimming pools or cinemas. In some towns, such as Bowraville, they were allowed into cinemas, however, they had to buy their tickets separately from the non-Indigenous people, enter the theatre after the show had started and sit at the back. Aboriginal people of the time often suffered verbal and physical abuse from the people who lived in

One change was to section 51, which stated the legislative powers of the Parliament, which did not include Aboriginal Australians. The second change was to section 127, which stated that “In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a state or another part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted”. After these changes, Indigenous Australians could be counted in the census and the government could provide welfare and empowerment to the Aboriginal