28/02/2026
MaryAnn Bin-Sallik, the first Aboriginal person to graduate from Harvard University with a PhD, has been remembered as a "trailblazer" in Indigenous education, health and human rights after her death last Saturday, aged 85.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
The Djaru Elder and professor is best-known for her decades of work in academia, along with her advocacy for equity for Aboriginal people.
National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair Aunty Professor Lynette Riley AO said not only were Professor Bin-Sallik's achievements incredible, but that she was also "one of the nicest people you could ever meet".
“ MaryAnn leaves void that is hard to fill as her passions for equity for her people drove her career and life choices," Professor Riley said.
"[She] was a trailblazer in Aboriginal education, Aboriginal health and human rights in Australia. She led the way in community engagement and leadership.
"She was gracious despite the racism she endured and has been recognised as a pioneer in the many different fields she has contributed her knowledge and experiences to."
Professor Bin-Sallik is survived by her two daughters Rokiah and Lisa, and her grandchildren.
Nurse, academic and advocate
Born in Broome, Western Australia in 1940, Professor Bin-Sallik was a proud Djaru woman who grew up in a large family.
At age nine her family moved to Darwin, which was a time in her life where she remembered a shift in her education.
She was not allowed to sit for the scholarship in year seven and was instead expected to be trained as an Aboriginal domestic worker.
"That's when I really understood racism," she recalled in an interview with Western Sydney University last year.
"I got so angry and I'm still angry and that motivates me."
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-28/aboriginal-professor-maryann-bin-sallik-remembered/106396478?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link
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