Black Witness

‘Amy McQuire is one of the most exciting journalists I have worked with. She is authentic, talented and true.’ - John Pilger

‘This is a phenomenal and powerful collection of essays from one of Australia’s most groundbreaking Black journalists. Amy McQuire’s seminal analysis and critique of the Australian media is essential reading. Her journalism has inspired a new generation of First Nations writers and thinkers to dismantle the systems which have shut us out. McQuire consistently reminds us that our people are tenacious, loving and resilient.’ - Bridget Brennan

‘I dare every white Australian journalist, member of the justice system, police and prison worker, teacher, nurse and doctor to read Black Witness. Be forewarned that you will shudder at the forensic analysis of how our professions are complicit in the violent oppression of First Peoples. Amy McQuire’s body of work is proof of her assertion that only the Black Witness can get Australia to care - and to change.’ - Jeff McMullen

‘When we speak of truth-telling in Australia, we need writers who are courageous, honest and dedicated to the cause. Amy McQuire’s Black Witness epitomises these qualities. Her coverage of colonial violence, the incarceration of First Nations people and our warriors of resistance, is exceptional. McQuire is a message stick, and we are in awe of her unwavering spirit.’ - Tony Birch

‘Forensic and compelling. A powerful work of truth-telling.’ - Ellen Fanning

Amy McQuire is a Darumbal and South Sea Islander woman from Rockhampton, Central Queensland. She is a prolific Aboriginal affairs journalist, academic, writer and commentator who has been published in Guardian Australia, the National Indigenous Times, The Saturday Paper, BuzzFeed News Australia, New Matilda, Vogue Australia, Marie Claire, The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others. She currently co-hosts Curtain The Podcast, which was named one of the top 25 true crime podcasts by New York’s Vulture magazine. In 2019 she won a Clarion Award and was nominated for a Walkley Award for her essay on the wrongful conviction of Aboriginal man Kevin Henry, and in 2023 she won Meanjin’s Hilary McPhee Award for brave essay writing for her piece on the disappearing of Aboriginal women. She is an Indigenous postdoctoral fellow at the Queensland University of Technology.