Happy Hump Day! We’ve once again come to that time of year in Australia - January 26. You know, “Australia Day”. The date marks the day that Arthur Philip raised the Union Jack at Port Jackson in 1788, establishing Australia. Or really, establishing the colony of New South Wales, essentially making it New South Wales’ birthday. For the longest time within the colony, it was actually referred to as Anniversary Day, mainly by those living in New South Wales. But, it also marks the day that Australia’s First Nations peoples lost their land to European settlers, starting a whole tidal wave of mistreatment and inequality that still exists today. It’s a Day of Mourning. So while a good portion of Australians are going to be ‘celebrating Australia Day’ tomorrow, here’s how you can mark January 26 if you don’t want to jump onto the insensitive patriotic bandwagon. I would like to acknowledge the Ongoing Custodians of this land. I pay respect to Elders past and present and emerging of the Wiradjuri and Bangerang nations, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Why is celebrating “Australia Day” such a controversial topic? There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with having a national day of celebration. Except for the fact that the date, January 26, is a day that holds so much sorrow for an entire segment of the population. A population that have lived on this land for tens of thousands of years. We spend the day celebrating how great we are, and glorifying the colonisation of the country, but we never want to acknowledge the extremely dark era of history that colonisation bought about. Or that, even today, Australia’s Indigenous population is still experiencing a multitude of issues that are rooted in colonisation and their treatment over the past 235 years. So instead of spending January 26 ignorantly “celebrating”, here are seven things you can, and should, be doing instead. 1. DEEP DIVE INTO AUSTRALIAN & ABORIGINAL HISTORY The Australian school curriculum has changed a lot in recent years, but not that long ago when I as in primary school and high school during the noughties, we didn’t really cover too much early Australian history, and very little history focusing on Indigenous Australians. In fact, it wasn’t until 2014, when I was in my first year of university, that I really got a good overview of early Australian history in relation to the Indigenous population. And that’s only because I was studying a history degree. So it’s safe to say that anyone my age or older probably doesn’t have the greatest historical knowledge prior to Federation. So take some initiative and rectify the issue by diving in Australia’s history. And not just Australia’s history, but the history of First Nations people, both before and after European colonisation. Now, I’m not saying you need to research like you’re about to take an exam or write a university-level essay, but even just spending some time reading Wikipedia articles will be enough to give you a deeper understanding and knowledge of Australia’s history. But definitely try to dig a little deeper, even if it’s just into a certain event, time period or person. You’ll be surprised by the amount of amazing historical stories that are out there that we just never seem to learn about - some stories which would have amazing, not to mention important, to learn in school. Let me start you off with five facts:
If anything, just look into the region that you live in and learn a bit about the Aboriginal peoples who call the land their home. For me, that’s the Wiradjuri and Bangerang peoples. Check out the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres trait Islander Studies for more information. 2. WATCH, READ, LISTEN There are a LOT of amazing Indigenous stories out there in film, television, and books, not to mention a tonne of fabulous musicians. These can be a fabulous way to get further insight into Indigenous history and culture, as well as supporting the wonderful creators behind these projects. Over the past few years, NITV have broadcast a Sunrise Ceremony on January 26. This year, they’re broadcasting a Sunset Ceremony on January 25 from 7:30pm, which will delve into the national conversation around a Referendum and an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. It will also include prominent First Nations voices reflecting on what January 26 means to them. It will be rebroadcast on January 26 at 6am on Channel 10, and 12pm on NITV and SBS. If the Sunrise Ceremony is anything to go by, then this will be a powerful and insightful watch, so be sure to tune in or watch on-demand. The following are just a few of the films, TV series, documentaries, and books that you should definitely be checking out:
3. GET CAUGHT UP ON CURRENT ISSUES As I’ve already mentioned, it’s far from peaches and cream these days. There is still SO much divide between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the country, and there are still many battles being fought for equality, a fair go, and much-needed change. I’m not the right person to list all the specifics and go into detail about every single issue, but these current issues include the likes of deaths in custody, land rights, treaty, a voice to Parliament, Constitutional change, racism, violence, healthcare, over-policing, destruction of sacred lands, Governmental policy, and SO MUCH MORE. There’s nation-wide, state-wide and regional issues that we all need to get the tiniest bit caught up on. Over the past few years, the pandemic, war in Ukraine, the Royal Family, and the continuing shit-show that is America, has taken up a lot of time in the media, meaning a lot of news stories have been quickly covered, swept to the side, forgotten, or not even talked about in the media. So take some time to catch up on what has been and what is still going on, and that issues that are currently the focus of First Nations peoples. Resources to check out: 4. HAVE A CONVERSATION At some point in recent years you’ve no doubt been in a conversation with someone who was adamant that Australia Day shouldn’t change – that it’s tradition; that you can’t change history; that it’s un-Australian; that it’s not our fault for something that happened over 200 years ago. While I’m not suggesting getting into arguments with people (because that never works in trying to get someone to see the other side of the argument), do have a conversation with someone, sharing things you’ve learnt and where you stand on the issue. Point them in the direction of where they can learn more about why there’s a fair chunk of the population wanting the date to change or be abolished. How’s this for starting a conversation? In 2017 I was named my local Shire Council’s Young Citizen of the Year and so was invited back the following year as one of the guest speakers. My speech brief was essentially a little bit about myself, what I’ve been up to in the past year, and what Australia Day means to me. I started off by sharing some historical facts about early Australian history, which led into me talking about how I wrote a local history book the year before. I then concluded by talking about why people need to be open about the need to change the date of Australia Day. I shared the whole speech in a blog post back in 2018, which you can read here. So here I was, 22 years old, at an official Australia Day event on Australia Day, after the previous guest speaker (the 2017 Citizen of the Year who was a 60+ white man) had mentioned the importance of celebrating Australia on Australia Day, telling around 100 people, most of whom fell in the 50+ age bracket, why changing the date of Australia Day is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I was nervous as hell, not just for the whole public speaking aspect, but just voicing such a “controversial” and “woke” opinion to what could be assumed to be a more conservative audience. No one heckled me or stormed off, so I think it was a win. Although, I can still recall the MC returning to the microphone after me and little unsure of how to proceed. If I can do that, you can totally have a bit of a chat with a friend, family member, neighbour, or even a complete stranger in the supermarket, about where you stand on Australia Day. If you can open just one person up to the idea that we need to make a change, then it’s been a good day. But also, don’t be afraid to tell Karen that she’s being just a little bit racist and ignorant. 5. GET YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND Every year, in nearly all the major cities, are Invasion Day events, most of which are open to non-Indigenous attendees. If you're in a position to attend any of these events, then I encourage you to do so. And if you can’t get involved with these events in person, get involved online. Check out a list of events here and here. And don’t forget to Pay The Rent if you’re in the position to. 6. SUPPORT BLAK BUSINESSES There are some amazing Indigenous-owned and operated businesses out there that you definitely need to be checking out and purchasing from if you’re able to. Just scrolling through their Instagram feeds will have you frothing over their products. At a time when more and more people are turning towards supporting small businesses, makes sure that you’re keeping Blak businesses on your radar too. Many of these businesses, especially those selling apparel, include a handy guide on what items are ally-friendly and which are mob-only, so be sure that you’re buying ally-friendly items! Some businesses to check out: 7. KEEP THE MOMENTUM UP AFTER JANUARY 26 So January 26 has come and gone, which means you can just put all this away until next year, right? Not one little bit. Don’t stop engaging, learning or talking once January 26 is over. These issues don’t stop being issues come January 27. The conversation doesn’t come to a halt on Friday. Self-education doesn’t finish when the Public Holiday ends. Keep the momentum going for the entire year. Continue to keep up-to-date with current events and issues. Spread awareness. Be supportive. Amplify voices. Sign petitions. Donate time, energy and money, if and where possible. Be an ally all year, not just in January. You don’t have to be the biggest and loudest ally and activist – a room full of whispers can be as loud, if not louder, than just one voice. So add yourself and your voice to the conversation and be part of the change. At the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to change or abolish the date of Australia Day, it’s to make a real change for Indigenous Australians now and for years to come. So start with Australia Day, and continue to be involved for the next 365 days until we’re back here and have to do it all over again. Although, hopefully we’ve taken more steps in the right direction by this time next year.
So, what are YOU planning on doing January 26? Always Was, Always Will Be. Victoria :) |
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