William Gray’s Post

Today is National Sorry Day, a day to Acknowledge the strength of the Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process for our people and nation. National Sorry Day is followed by National Reconciliation Week, which runs from 27 May to 3 June. This year's theme, "Now More Than Ever," reminds us all that the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must continue. It emphasises the need to tackle the unfinished business of Reconciliation. #NationalSorryDay serves as a reminder that historical injustice remains an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, communities, and peoples. At Royal Far West, we are dedicated to walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and advocating for equal access to healthcare for our First Nations families. We are passionately committed to Reconciliation and to ensuring we provide culturally safe and accountable health, education, and disability services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families, organisations, and communities. Today and every day, it’s important to recognise the need for continued action to right the wrongs of the past. Let’s all commit to truth-telling and Reconciliation, honouring the resilience of the Stolen Generations and working together towards a just and equitable future. #TruthTelling #Reconciliation #RoyalFarWest #ReconciliACTION Artwork by Frances Belle Parker. Yaegl woman from Maclean in the Northern Rivers of NSW.

Today is National Sorry Day – held each year to commemorate and acknowledge the strength of the stolen generations survivors, and the anniversary of the Bringing Them Home Report tabled in Australian Parliament in 1997. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission undertook a national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The resulting report highlighted the trauma and damage inflicted upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through harmful practices and policies. Evidence shows forced removal has created lifelong negative impacts for stolen generations survivors, their families and communities. The removal of children created a cycle of intergenerational trauma, which has passed from one generation to the next. Following the release of the report in Sydney,1998 many Australians participated in a sorry book campaign – which became the grassroots movement known as the people’s apology. The flow on effect was the 2000 National Reconciliation Week with the Walk for Reconciliation. About 250,000 people marching alongside First Nations people and stolen generations survivors in support for a national apology. The event showed support from the Federal Government, which ultimately led to a formal apology by the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008. Although we have come a long way in our journey towards reconciliation, there is still more to be done. To find out more read the Bringing them Home report https://ow.ly/YNai50RTHMH. For more information on Sorry Day and how to get involved, please refer to the Healing Foundation https://ow.ly/8yCv50RTHMG #SorryDay #CulturalCapability #NationalReconcilliationWeek

Today is National Sorry Day, a day that acknowledges the trauma, displacement and suffering endured by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as a result of the forced removal of children during the Stolen Generations. We acknowledge the strength and resilience of Aboriginal people and communities and we stand in solidarity with First Nations people in their ongoing fight against systemic oppression and injustice. We recognise that the social, economic, political, emotional, psychological and physical health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is dependent upon the dismantling of the systems that continue to impact their communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still being removed from their families at alarming rates. We need to listen to the voices of First Nations people and communities to find the solutions. We cannot continue to just acknowledge the forced removal of children in the past, while it continues to happen today. We know that words are not enough, we must take action. Endless cycles of systemic oppression, racism and injustice cannot continue. We must listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and invest in their self determined solutions. #SorryDay #Sorry

I pay my respects to all Stolen Generation survivors. To the children who are still coming home, to the children who never made it home and to the families who are still healing from the trauma. On this Sorry Day, I acknowledge the incredible strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. Unfortunately today, 27 years after the Bringing Them Home report and 16 years since the National Apology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still 10.5 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be removed from their families*. We need to do better. As a Country. As a society. As people. As we head into Reconciliation week, I urge everyone to look a little deeper within themselves. Are you educated on the true history of this Country? Are you informed on the impacts of intergenerational trauma and how they relate to our Stolen Generations? Now more than ever, we need to come together for truth telling and finally create systemic change for our people ✊🏾👣 #SorryDay #NRW #Reconciliation #change #truthtelling #Aboriginal #Indigenous #Australia #Sorryday2024 #NRW24 *Information sourced from Reconciliation Australia.

The Stolen Generations of Australia. National Sorry Day (May 26th). A day for Australians to acknowledge the injustices suffered by the Stolen Generation and to express their sorrow and regret. The Stolen Generation refers to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities by the Australian government between the late 1800s and the 1970s. These children were taken from their homes and placed in institutions or with non-Indigenous families, where they were often subjected to abuse and neglect. Sorry Day is a day of remembrance and reconciliation in Australia, held annually on May 26th. It is a day for Australians to acknowledge the injustices suffered by the Stolen Generation and to express their sorrow and regret for the pain and suffering caused by the forced removal of Indigenous children. The Stolen Generation and Sorry Day are important parts of Australia's history, and they serve as a reminder of the need for reconciliation and healing between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. By acknowledging the past wrongs and working towards a more inclusive and respectful future, Australians can move towards a more just and equitable society for all.

Today marks National Sorry Day, where we remember and acknowledge the ongoing trauma and impact of the Stolen Generations. I’ve been meaning to post something all day but felt a little lost for words. Instead I’ve been reflecting on how the Stolen Generations are still playing out in devastating ways today. I rediscovered this video, now 9 years old, but still so relevant – and it hits hard. It’s half an hour of essential viewing, I hope you can make some time to watch it: https://lnkd.in/gS-uS-wW “This is not about ancient history. It is about today’s reality of suffering.” (6:38-6:45) “It was about official government policy that was designed to steal babies and small children from their families and put them into an institution, in foster homes. Sometimes this was a happy childhood for the youngsters but mostly it was terrible.” (8:13-8:31) “All of these things were designed to take the Aboriginality out of Aboriginal kids because there was a belief, particularly the Darwinist type belief, that the only way these children would survive was for them to be ‘civilised’. And that meant destroying the culture that they came from, trying to turn them into different shades of white, which never worked of course, and has resulted in enormous grief and trauma to Aboriginal society. And that’s ongoing, it’s what we see today. But much of its foundation is in these past laws and policies and practices.” (8:34-9:26) “Aboriginal people are the only people in this country ever to be automatically wards of State at birth because of law – because their Aboriginality was perceived to be a problem.” (9:35-9:48) #NationalSorryDay #StolenGenerations #26May

👉 Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation on November 12, 2024, stating he stepped down "in sorrow" after failing to ensure a thorough investigation into historical abuse allegations linked to a volunteer at Christian summer camps. His resignation follows a report that criticized his insufficient actions regarding a perpetrator identified as possibly the Church of England's most prolific serial abuser. Welby sought permission from His Majesty The King before making this decision, reflecting the seriousness of the situation and its impact on victims. 👉 Welby's resignation comes amid mounting pressure from church members and advocacy groups demanding accountability within the Church of England regarding past abuse cases. The report that prompted his resignation has raised serious concerns about the Church's handling of abuse allegations over the years, highlighting systemic failures that have left many victims without justice. The Archbishop's departure is seen as a pivotal moment for the Church as it grapples with its past. 👉 Implications for the Church  This resignation marks a significant juncture in the Church of England's ongoing efforts to address its historical failures in safeguarding vulnerable individuals. It signals an urgent need for reform within the institution, as leaders work to rebuild trust among congregants and ensure that such abuses do not occur in the future. What measures do you think the Church should implement to ensure justice for victims and prevent future abuses? #News #ChurchReform #Accountability #Justice #Safeguarding

Each year, National Sorry Day (May 26) marks the anniversary of the 1997 tabling of the Bringing Them Home report in the Australian Parliament and commemorates Stolen Generations survivors. A landmark truth telling process, the Bringing them Home inquiry (and subsequent report) examined, for the first time, the truth of Australia’s Stolen Generations past and shared this truth with the nation. However, almost 30 years on, many of the report’s 54 recommendations remain unmet. This year, under the theme ‘Bringing Them Home – the unfinished business’, the Healing Foundation are highlighting the urgency of acting on these outstanding recommendations to ensure that remaining Stolen Generations survivors are supported to age with dignity and respect. You can learn more by following @healingourway or by visiting: https://lnkd.in/gKzp-bF — This National Sorry Day, we acknowledge the immense and ongoing harm suffered by the Stolen Generations: First Nations children who were forcibly removed from their families through racist government policies, leaving them disconnected from their kin, culture, languages and Country. We also recognise the strength and resilience of Stolen Generations survivors, and indeed that of all First Nations people and communities, as they continue to nurture a land and culture that has existed for more than 65,000 years. . #BringingThemHome #UnfinishedBusiness #SorryDay2024 #SorryDay #alwayswasalwayswillbe

Today is National Sorry Day, which acknowledges the Stolen Generations of First Nations peoples of Australia. From the mid 1850's to the 1970's, Australia's state and federal governments systematically and forcibly removed many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their homes and families. More than 50,000 children were taken from their families without notice or reason and placed in institutions and foster homes, with many subjected to abuse and neglect. Children were denied any access to their cultures and punished for speaking their languages. It was decades before some children were able to see or speak to their parents again, and many families were never reunited. These children have come to be known as the Stolen Generations. There are over 17,000 Stolen Generation survivors, and it is estimated that one third of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are descended from the Stolen Generations. Truth telling is essential for reconciliation. On Sorry Day, we acknowledge the immense suffering caused by cruel and racist policies of assimilation and recognise Stolen Generations survivors, their families and communities who continue to be affected by this deep injustice.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Today, on this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I was both humbled and saddened to take part in ceremonies marking the occasion with participants from Edmonton’s inner-city community. A difficult day to honour survivors of residential schools, and listen with intentionality, to understand how the forced removal of children from their families, and the horrible abuse that all too often followed, has caused both unimaginable and inter-generational pain. We also remember, the many missing children, those little ones that never came home. Yet we also honour and celebrate the resiliency of Indigenous Peoples and reaffirm our commitment that every child matters. On this day, many of us also reflect upon the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action. While much has been accomplished, too much more remains to be achieved. The Commissions report, issued some 9 years ago, was in response to the centuries of, sometimes unspeakable, injustices inflicted upon our Indigenous brothers and sisters. For many of us, today is also a day to reflect upon the staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people, documented in the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. As we collectively move forward on our respective reconciliation journeys, it’s important today to also pause and think of how we will put our many thoughts of today into action tomorrow and the other 363 days of the year.