Cultural Manager for Team Mills Foundation, Jax Compton visits the US
Written by Amanda Nause
I sat down with Jax Compton, long-time friend/coworker, for a casual conversation while she visited the states last month. Jacqueline Compton, also known as Jax Compton is the Cultural Manager for Team Mills Foundation and Indigenous Basketball Australia. She is currently in the last months of her Masters of Fine Arts - Cultural Leadership at NIDA, which is the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Australia. Jax engaged Team Mills Foundation for the last unit of her master's degree, which is called International Placement, which means you work with an arts and or cultural organization and write a research paper or a case study on a certain field/topic. This led Jax to the United States for over a week to meet with Team Mills Foundation and key partners, Jax explains, “One of the main reasons for coming is the foundation. We are working and solidifying its structural frameworks, cultural frameworks, and strategic plans, because it is in its infancy. So a part of the work I had begun in Australia in this role was to create the cultural framework, but it was very anchored in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural values.” She goes on to say, “But because of Patty's unique situation and our unique situation as a team, it's really important that our values are reflective of global values, and is used as means to see the rest of the world. And what's been interesting on this trip is that with all the people we've met, partners, stakeholders, or potential stakeholders/collaborators, the values are really similar, which I knew, but now I can't wait to write about it because First Peoples all across the world and people from black and brown communities, really understand the value of respecting family, each other, and it aligns with all the values that we have at the foundation.”
Jax and I had the pleasure to meet with Cliff Matias, director of Redhawk Native American Arts Council. Redhawk Native American Arts Council is a small grassroots cultural organization, founded and maintained by Indigenous artists and educators who reside in and around the New York City area. RNAC presents unique cultural programming in educational institutions from Kindergarten to universities and in corporate diversity programs. RNAC hosts one of the largest Native American festivals/powwows in the northeast, including its flagship event on Indigenous Peoples Day at Randall Island Park on October 10th. Cliff mentioned he has never hosted an Aboriginal cultural group for this event. “I was actually gobsmacked when Cliff said that on World Indigenous Day in America, especially in New York city, which has delegates coming from around the world to present their cultural practices and performances, not one delegate from Australia has been present in 30 years. You think about all the people, all the different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island groups we have in Australia that could have come… but you know, I'm excited to change that.” Jax exclaimed.
We also took time to sit down with Murals for the Movement to hear a bit more about how art can be reflected in communities to share vital messages. Speaking about our meeting with Murals for the Movement in Brooklyn Jax said, “It was mixed emotions, one of empathy, because I understand why they do what they do. Of course we need to change the narrative. We need to speak our narrative into our art. We need to see our faces around these cities because they have stories and connectedness to the people here and especially those big murals. They have so much they can say and the power of seeing it every day is so real. These can change the mindset of people that just walk by, that's how powerful it is. But Brooklyn in itself, like I feel it lives, it breathes it. It's all about art. It's all about culture and you know, all the arts and all the culture that you can think of is here in Brooklyn.. food, music, art, the clothes you wear, the music you listen to..it’s just good vibes all the time.”
AN: Where is your mob from?
JC: We are Wuthathi people, white sand people of east Cape York Peninsula in QLD. And my mom was born on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, and we have family ties to Badu + Moa Islands in the Torres Strait. My dad's Australian.
AN: I don’t think I knew your mom was born on T.I?
JC: Yea, she was born there. She lived there for a long time. They had a family home just to the right of the second wharf or like a street back. I think the house is still there today. I think it was until when she wanted, needed, to go to primary or high school. I think the family moved to Cairns.
AN: How do you know Patty?
JC: I've known Patty since the day he was born, his parents, along with my parents and several other aunties and uncles moved from Queensland down to Canberra in the early nineties, to work in Indigenous Affairs. So we created our own little family down there and we all grew up together and had each other's backs and that has continued for the 16 years I've been alive. No, just kidding. *laugh* For the last 30 something years.
AN: What did you do with some of your downtime here in the US?
JC: So I took a bike, a city bike, those public bikes you can use. And I biked around with my friend and just to see the city first that close, not in a car but faster than walking, but on a bike it was a really fast way. So I had so much to unpack afterwards. I was like, wow, this city is so far ahead in so many ways, but you can still see the remnants of all those historical influences. We didn't get to go up to the Bronx. We didn't get to go up to Queens. Those places have such deep history as well, you know, diversity as well.
AN: On reflecting on your trip here in NYC, what are your thoughts on how the Foundation is progressing, meeting with others, and introducing ourselves?
JC: The Foundation is founded in cultural values and we want to meet people and we don't want to push anyone or push our way into spaces here. We need to show and give respect to receive it. We were doing the groundwork. Making those real connections. So that's what was so humbling about it is slow and steady because it is an established city. And the people that are here are doing great work. There are, I can't even count how many amazing nonprofits that have been here for a really long time doing great work exactly. And led by really amazing people that we haven't even met yet. All centered around inclusion, family, many of the same values we have. So I think the number one thing for the foundation has always been… we're going to go slow. It's okay if we don't progress rapidly. I'd rather do it the right way and have programs and have relationships that are long lasting, then come in and tell the community what they need.
In her closing remarks Jax stated, “I've been super grateful for the opportunity just to be here, especially because of how the world is right now and the timing of it, you know, Queensland, where I live, only opened their international border a month ago And I didn't even think about that. I didn't even think about the quarantine afterwards. I was just willing to do it to get my assignment done. It's obviously a huge thing for my family, for anyone to go overseas and do something like this.”
““There are no borders for me. It’s like, we’re all one people. So we just gotta really make sure that we are represented and a part of those conversations now going forward.””