Karla Grant has been telling Black stories for 20 years. Take a look at some of her powerful moments

Living Black, Australia's longest-running Indigenous current affairs television program, is celebrating 20 years on air.

Presenter, producer, journalist and Western Arrernte woman, Karla Grant. Source: NITV / Dave Ollier

Australia’s longest-running Indigenous current affairs television program, Living Black has hit a milestone this year, celebrating twenty years on our television screens.

Now in its 30^th season, Living Black will be returning to NITV on Monday, premiering 13 brand new episodes as host Karla Grant sits down with inspiring and influential people from many walks of life, and continues to investigate and bring to light issues affecting First Nations people today.

A Walkley Award-winning journalist, producer and presenter, and proud Arrernte woman, Karla Grant has been the driving force of the program since its inception in 2002, in front of and behind the camera.

Over the past two decades with Karla at the helm, the team has covered and broken many stories: the COVID-19 pandemic and its outbreak in regional communities, Indigenous art theft, deaths in custody, child removals, heritage protection, and the aftermath of cyclones.

The program has interviewed some of the most high-profile members of our community, such as model Samantha Harris, the late Uncle Archie Roach, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Olympic gold medallist Cathy Freeman and television personality Ernie Dingo to name a few.

To commemorate and celebrate the mighty twenty-year milestone, here are some of Living Black’s top moments, from special investigations to conversations with some of the worlds most iconic people.

Aboriginal Lives Matter

Protestors taking part in Black Lives Matter march in Sydney, 2020 Credit: Living Black

In 2020 against the backdrop of the global Black Lives Matter movement and the urgent calls for action to be taken over Aboriginal Deaths in custody in Australia, there were rallies taking place right across the country.

In this interview Karla spoke with three families who have lost loved ones while in police custody; David Dungay Jnr, Rebecca Maher and Nathan Reynolds. Their families opened up in this special program sharing their pain and heartbreaking loss. They are not just statistics; their lives were more than the tragic final chapter. Their lives matter.

Taken

Source: NITV / Living Black

In 2022 the Living Black team won their first Walkley Award for coverage of Indigenous Affairs which included this special investigation titled Taken.

The important investigation uncovered a system that is failing First Nations children who are living in out-of-home care and are being forcibly removed from their families at alarmingly high rates, and rather than the system helping our children and families it is designed to tear them apart.

In this special investigation, Karla spoke with youth who are caught in the system and investigated where these children are being placed. The program focuses on the lives of three Aboriginal children and gave them a voice that they did not otherwise have.

COVID crisis in Wilcannia

Karla Grant visits a family in Covid lockdown isolation in the NSW town of Wilcannia

In 2021 the small regional town of Wilcannia in far north-western NSW suffered a devastating COVID19 outbreak. The Living Black team was the first television crew on the ground as requested by the community, whose pleas had been ignored to close the community off from outsiders in order to stop the spread of COVID.

The town suffered the highest rates per capita of the virus and it was harrowing to hear the stories of the Wilcannia community, who had been forced to live in overcrowded situations and had to resort to living in tents so that they could isolate.

One family was forced to walk five kilometres to an isolation camp, and another resident was forced to wait outside in the cold and was not allowed in the hospital because she had COVID. These were just a few of the heartbreaking stories of appalling treatment that was uncovered during this interview while speaking with the community.

Karla and the team were on the ground to investigate how this town became so neglected and asked why the Federal Government's priority vaccine rollout to this community failed.

In conversation with Cathy Freeman

Former Olympian Cathy Freeman speaking on Living Black

In 2014 Karla sat down with the legendary and iconic Australian sporting champion Cathy Freeman, fourteen years after she won Gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

During the candid interview Cathy recounted the lead up to the historic moment when she became an Olympic gold medallist, recounting the race in detail.

In this special interview Cathy discussed intimate details of her life, her family and her career and she trusted the Living Black team with her story.

Kevin Rudd, ten years after the apology

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaking to Living Black

In 2018, ten years after former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologised to Indigenous Australians for the forced removal of children from their families, Living Black did a sit down interview to mark the anniversary of the historic moment.

Karla spoke with Mr Rudd where he detailed the day he delivered the formal apology to the Stolen Generations on February 13, 2008. He also reflected on his life, time in office, the current state of Indigenous Affairs, and what still needs to be done to see real improvements in the lives of First Nations people.

Living Black turns 20

Karla Grant celebrating 20 years of Living Black with her special guests including Ken Wyatt, Jacqui Lambie, Lidia Thorpe, Aaron Fa'aoso, Dean Widders, Karen Mundine, The Stiff Gins and daughter Lowana Grant

On Monday evening Living Black’s 30^th season will kick off with a special one-hour episode featuring a panel discussion with high profile guests discussing the Referendum on a Voice to Parliament. Karla is joined on the panel by Noel Pearson, Senators Lidia Thorpe and Jacqui Lambie, Ken Wyatt, Dean Widders, Karen Mundine and Aaron Fa’Aoso, with a special performance by The Stiff Gins to celebrate the milestone.

Season 30 will continue to bring powerful investigations and conversations with some of the most iconic and prominent First Nations voices. Some of the guests include singer-songwriter Christine Anu, actor and presenter Luke Carroll, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, Co-chair of the Uluru Dialogues and Human Rights Advocate Pat Anderson AO, and many more.

Season 13 of Living Black premieres Monday 17 April at 8.30pm on NITV, and is available on SBS On Demand after broadcast.