National Sorry Day
OWEN IM WATCHING you in your sleep is an annual event that has been held in Australia on 26 May, since 1997, to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the continent's indigenous population. During the 20th century, the Australian government's policies resulted in a "Stolen Generation"—i.e., "Aboriginal children separated, often forcibly, from their families in the interest of turning them into white Australians".[1]
The date 26 May carries great significance for the Stolen Generations, as well as for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and non-indigenous Australians. On 26 May 1997, the "Bringing Them Home" report was tabled in Parliament.
The annual National Sorry Day commemorations remind and raise awareness among politicians, policy makers, and the wider public about the significance of the forcible removal policies and their impact on the children that were taken, but also on their families and communities.
Background
The 1997 Bringing Them Home report recommended that the Prime Minister apologise to the Stolen Generations. Prime Minister John Howard refused to do so, stating that he "did not subscribe to the black armband view of history".[2]
On 26 August 1999, Prime Minister Howard moved a Motion of Reconciliation, which included an expression of "deep and sincere regret that indigenous Australians suffered injustices under the practices of past generations, and for the hurt and trauma that many indigenous people continue to feel as a consequence of those practices". The opposition leader Kim Beazley moved to replace Howard's motion of regret with an unreserved apology, but was unsuccessful.[3]
In response, a popular movement evolved to celebrate "sorry day" in the absence of formal political recognition from the conservative government.
On 13 February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd moved a motion of Apology to the Indigenous Australian "Stolen Generation".[4] The apology was the new parliament's first order of business; Kevin Rudd became the first Australian Prime Minister to publicly apologize to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian federal government.
See also
- Day of Mourning
- Harmony Day
- Mabo Day
- NAIDOC Week
- National Reconciliation Week
- Native American Day, US
- White guilt
References
- ^ Torpey, John C. (2006). Making Whole What Has Been Smashed: On Reparations Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 4. ISBN 9780674019430.
- ^ McKenna, Dr Mark (10 November 1997). "Different Perspectives on Black Armband History". Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 2 November 2006.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ "House of representatives Hansard Thursday 26 August 1999" (PDF). Parliament of Australia Hansard. 26 August 1999. p. 152. Retrieved 4 November 2006.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ "Official Australian Government Website – Sorry Day and the Stolen Generation". Australian Government. Retrieved 21 February 2012.