National Sorry Day
We value the people, communities, and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Today, on National Sorry Day, we remember the events in our country's history that led to the forced separation of Indigenous children from their families, as well as the impact of those events on the Stolen Generations. Today is a day to consider how we may all contribute to the healing of our country and its people.
We value the people, communities, and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We cannot begin to fix the problems of the present without accepting the truth of our history. We recognise and acknowledge the unspeakable sorrow and suffering that the stolen generations has caused families and communities.
As we apologise, we stand in awe of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's fortitude and resilience.
#BeBrave.MakeChange #NationalSorryDay #NationalReconciliationWeek #WeAreSorry
At 9:30 am on 13 February 2008, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd presented the apology to Indigenous Australians as a motion to be voted on by the house, which included the lines of, “We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians".
The hurt caused by white Australians to native peoples is now being addressed, so the first steps have been taken. However we still have a long way to go. With concentrated effort, attention, financing, and reconciliation, reparations can continue to heal the divide or “Close the Gap.” To observe National Sorry Day take the time to learn the stories of the Stolen Generations. Just a little research will tell horrific stories of children torn from their rightful families and forced into an unfamiliar and difficult life living with strangers, as well as trying to keep up with the schooling, traditions, and family dynamics of colonist-descended white Australians. Read a few of them, and share in the victims’ pain.