Write for us

style guide

We are always looking for talented Women of Colour, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to contribute to SPEAK. If you are interested in working with us, here are some general writing tips to ensure that your piece resonates with our audience:

Write in a conversational tone. If possible, avoid legalese, jargon or slang (unless you explain what it is) and make sure that all acronyms are spelled out in the first instance.
Speak directly to your reader in the present tone.
If you’re writing about historical references, please do your research and ensure it is factually and historically accurate. Always provide reliable references to back any statements.
Providing a ‘call to action’ is a great way to engage and affect real change by encouraging contact to representatives in parliament, volunteer in their communities etc. if relevant to your piece.
SPEAK was built as a platform to amplify your voice. Be authentic, be unashamedly you in your writing. Whether it’s a poem, long form, short form, a critique, or sharing a lived experience, we would love to hear from you.

Please send a short pitch or idea to speak@womenofcolour.org.au

We exist to champion Australia’s Women of Colour.

THE ORIGIN OF THE PHRASE “WOMEN OF COLOR”

“Women of Color is not a biological designation. It is a solidarity definition. A commitment to work in collaboration with other oppressed women of color who have been minoritized. It is a term that has a lot of power.” Loretta Ross
Learn more here

WOMEN DEFINITION

Women – Transgender and cisgender, all those who experience or have experienced oppression as women, including non-binary and gender non-conforming people and all those who identify as women. Self-definition is at the discretion of the individual.
Definition credit: wire.org.au

ALLY DEFINITION

A – always centre the impacted
L – listen and learn from those who live in oppression
L – leverage your privilege
Y – yield the floor
*Mnemonic credit: Kayla Reed Executive Director ACTION St. Louis Follow Kayla Reed on Twitter @iKaylaReed

Privacy Policy Refund Policy Terms Of Use

WOMEN OF COLOUR LTD ABN 17 643 518 576 ACN 643 518 576 is an Australian Public Company Limited by Guarantee. We are a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). We have Deductible Gift Recipient status and operate the WoC Harm Prevention Fund. Gifts to the Fund may be deductible.

The WOMEN OF COLOUR AUSTRALIA logo is a Registered Trademark of WOMEN OF COLOUR LTD.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

We acknowledge the Wallumattagal clan of the Darug nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Women of Colour Australia is situated. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and honour the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with whom we stand in solidarity. We acknowledge that as settlers on this stolen Aboriginal land, we are beneficiaries of the dispossession, genocide, and ongoing colonial violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We believe that it is our collective responsibility and moral imperative to help dismantle the systemic barriers and structural inequities oppressing the original inhabitants of this land. We are also painfully aware that this land was taken forcibly, without a Treaty or reparations made. We have taken a practical step towards honouring sovereignty by paying the rent – and we invite you to do so too. This land is and always will be Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded.

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