Stephen Hagan (born 1959) is an Australian author and
anti-racism
Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate a ...
campaigner. He is also a newspaper editor, documentary maker, university lecturer and former diplomat.
Early life and education
Hagan was born in 1959 in
Cunnamulla
Cunnamulla () is a town and a locality in the Shire of Paroo, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Charleville, and approximately west of the state capital, Brisbane. In the , Cunnamulla had a population of 1,140 people.
Geography
Cunnamulla ...
in
South West Queensland
South West Queensland is a remote region in the Australian state of Queensland which covers . The region lies to the south of Central West Queensland and west of the Darling Downs and includes the Maranoa district and parts of the Channel Countr ...
, Australia. His father, Jim Hagan, belonged to the
Kullili people of the region, while his mother was from the nearby
Kooma. Hagan spent his first seven years living on a camp on the outskirts of the town, before moving into a new house nearby; an experience that helped shape his perceptions of the
socio-economic
Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their local ...
inequalities between the aboriginal population and white Australians.
Success in high school led to an opportunity to attend
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
at
Marist College Ashgrove
, motto_translation = Act Courageously
, location = Ashgrove, Brisbane, Queensland
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, pushpin_map = Australia Queensland
, pushpin_ima ...
in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. From there he undertook training to become a teacher, but he reports that he became disillusioned with the system after being required to teach with "racist" texts.
Career
After he left teaching to work with a number of
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
organisations, and through them he met and worked under
Aboriginal activist
Charles Perkins. From there he moved into the
Department of Foreign Affairs, gaining a diplomatic post to
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
in Sri Lanka.
Upon returning to Australia he worked in both the public and private sectors, the latter including venturing into
cultural tourism
Cultural tourism is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/produ ...
. More recently he lectured at the
University of Southern Queensland
The University of Southern Queensland (branded as UniSQ and formerly branded as USQ) is a medium-sized, regional university based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, with three university campuses at Toowoomba, Springfield and Ipswich. It offe ...
(USQ) in
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
while undertaking a doctorate.
In July 2010, Hagan became editor of the ''
National Indigenous Times
The ''National Indigenous Times'' (NIT) is an Indigenous Australian affairs website, originally published as a newspaper from February 2002.
History
''National Indigenous Times'' was first published in newspaper form on 27 February 2002. It was ...
''. After promising to fix problems with plagiarism at the paper, Hagan left in December 2013. His suit for unfair dismissal was part of the reason the paper went into administration in 2015.
Hagan was awarded a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
by USQ in 2016 for a
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
on
judicial bias against Indigenous Australians. The thesis was the base for his 2017 book, ''The Rise and Rise of Judicial Bigotry''.
Campaigns and incidents
E. S. "Nigger" Brown Stand
In 1999, Hagan visited the
Clive Berghofer Stadium
Clive Berghofer Stadium (officially known as Toowoomba Sports Ground and previously known as Athletic Oval) is a stadium in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Situated on Mary Street on the eastern fringes of Toowoomba CBD adjacent to Queens Par ...
in
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
, Queensland, and noticed a large sign declaring the name of the E. S. "
Nigger
In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...
" Brown Stand, which had been named after the 1920s
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
player
Edwin Stanley Brown – also known as "Nigger" Brown, possibly in response to his pale skin and blond hair.
This prompted a long campaign to have the stand renamed to remove the offending nickname.
Hagan unsuccessfully pursued the case before the
High Court and the
Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...
, both of which rejected his claim.
In 2003 ''Hagan v Australia'' was heard before the United Nations'
Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Hagan, the complainant, claimed the naming of the stand was discriminatory against him. The committee recommended that Australia "take the necessary measures to secure the removal of the offending term from the sign".
In 2008, the stand was demolished and the issue was resolved, and Toowoomba Sports Ground Inc agreed not to use the term in the future:
indeed they had given a similar undertaking in 1999.
As the dispute went through the courts Hagan was brought close to bankruptcy and received threats, according to his wife,
including letters claiming to be from the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
.
As a result of these threats and for the sake of his family, Hagan says, he decided to move house.
Coon cheese
In 2001, Hagan filed a complaint with the
Advertising Standards Bureau after an advertisement for
Coon cheese
Cheer (stylised as CHEER), formerly marketed as Coon, is the Australian trademark of a cheddar cheese (known as "tasty" in Australia) produced by the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter company, which is majority-owned by Canadian dairy company Sapu ...
was broadcast during the Academy Awards. In 2008 he stated his belief that the cheese was named after a racial epithet and called on its manufacturer to prove its claim that it was named after American cheesemaker
Edward Coon. This followed an earlier unsuccessful complaint to
Australian Human Rights Commission
The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but opera ...
in 1999.
When announced in 2020 by the brand owners,
Saputo Inc.
Saputo Inc. is a Canadian dairy company based in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1954 by the Saputo family. It produces, markets, and distributes a wide array of dairy products, including cheese, fluid milk, extended shelf-life milk and cream prod ...
, that the name would be changed in the wake of
Australian participation in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Hagan declared that it was "a total vindication of 20 years of campaigning."
In December 2020, Hagan and Destiny Rogers from
QNews
''QNews'' is an Australian online news outlet based in Brisbane, Queensland catering to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer communities in Australia. The first issue was published in December 2000.
History
''QNews'' wa ...
published the
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
''Coon: More Holes than Swiss Cheese''.
In 2021, Hagan commented on
Lake Macquarie's council's intention of renaming Coon Island in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
. The island was named after a white local coalminer, Herbert Heany, who gained that nickname because of his blackened face when coming home from the mine. The council intended to start considerations about a new name in February 2021, but Hagan insisted it ought to be renamed immediately, without consultation.
Toowoomba golliwogs
On 1 December 2016 Hagan caused controversy when he labelled
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
the "most racist city in Australia"
after a display of nine
golliwog
The golliwog, also spelled golliwogg or shortened to golly, is a doll-like character – created by cartoonist and author Florence Kate Upton – that appeared in children's books in the late 19th century, usually depicted as a type of rag ...
dolls were placed by a
Terry White Chemists shop underneath a sign inviting shoppers to "Experience a White Christmas". The controversy began when Toowoomba man, author
George Helon spotted the dolls placed beneath the sign and circulated a picture of it on Facebook and Twitter.
The store's manager apologised and said they would not stock the dolls in the future.
Coles Express
In June 2020, it was reported that Hagan would sue
Coles Express
Eureka Operations Pty Ltd (trading as Coles Express) is an Australian chain of convenience stores at Shell Australia petrol stations. Its operations are managed by Coles.
The business venture and corresponding fuel discount offer was launched in ...
for racial discrimination following an incident at a service station in
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
where he was asked to pre-pay for fuel. He stated that two white drivers at the same time had not been required to do so.
Carlton Football Club song
In 2021, Hagan urged the
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition.
Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...
to change the tune of its club song, "We Are the Navy Blues". While admitting that the song's lyrics are not racially offensive, he objected to its melody, "
Lily of Laguna
"Lily of Laguna" is a British coon song written in eye dialect. It was written in 1898 by English composer Leslie Stuart. It was a music hall favourite, performed notably by blackface performers such as Eugene Stratton and G. H. Elliott. In th ...
", and the original and racist heritage of that melody. He said, "It took me 10 years to get
the name of the stand changed and now I'm doing the same for another sporting club." The club, supported by several of its Indigenous players, said any racial connotations had been removed from the song 80 years ago and that the objectionable history of its melody was unlikely to have been known to the writers of the lyrics in 1929.
Personal life
Hagan is married to Rhonda Hagan from the
Mamu tribe; they have two children.
Awards and nominations
* 2005:
Deadly Awards
The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The event was held from 1995 to 2013.
Description
T ...
– Outstanding Achievement in Literature: Stephen Hagan: ''
The N Word: One Man's Stand''
* 2006:
NAIDOC Person of the Year
* 2007:
ATOM Award
The ATOM Awards are a group of awards offered to Australian and New Zealand "professionals, educators and students", honoring achievements in the making of film, television, multimedia, and from 2007 multi-modal productions.
The Awards were esta ...
and nominated at the
Inside Film Awards
The Inside Film Awards (now known as the IF Awards) is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, developed by the creators of Inside Film Magazine, Stephen Jenner and David Barda, and originally produced fo ...
for Best Short Documentary: ''Nigger Lovers'', directed by Rhonda Hagan, produced by Daryl Sparkes and Stephen Hagan
Publications
*
*
*
*
References
External links
Book review: ''The N Word'' by Stephen Hagan by Aden Ridgeway''Nigger Lovers''a documentary short by Hagan about the E. S. "Nigger" Brown stand and the word "nigger".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagan, Stephen
1959 births
People from Cunnamulla
Australian indigenous rights activists
Australian anti-racism activists
Australian documentary filmmakers
Indigenous Australian writers
Australian columnists
Writers from Queensland
Australian diplomats
Living people
University of Southern Queensland alumni
University of Southern Queensland faculty