Shannan Dodson

Shannan is a Yawuru (Broome area) woman who was born in Katherine in the Northern Territory and currently lives in Sydney. Shannan has worked in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs for over 16 years and a strategic communications and engagement specialist.

She is currently a consultant and before that was the Communications Manager for the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) Office at the University of Technology Sydney.

Shannan is a SBS Community Advisory member and the Indigenous Affairs Advisor for Media Diversity Australia which seeks to promote balanced representation in Australian media that more accurately reflects the Australian community. She is a regular contributor to NITV, the ABC, Ten Daily and The Guardian. Shannan is passionate about First Nations' rights and understanding mental health issues, particularly intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

What does NAIDOC mean to you?

NAIDOC for me represents a time that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples come together to celebrate our resilience, our successes, our culture, our pride and our strong communities. Through all the negative media stories and stark statistics, it's a time to come together as a community to recognise and promote the amazing contribution we make to this nation and our communities. It's our week, by us, for us.