Celebrating Mabo Day

Tonight I have been thinking about the situation in the United States at the moment where peaceful demonstrations have turned into looting and rioting and the value of a man who died in police custory seems to be over-riden by blood-lust

And I am sad

I feel for my son son who was a teenager of unknown Australian Indigneous background and although adopted into our White Anglo-Saxon family was still aboriginal and I was confronted by my racist family although I had proof from his birth-mother than his birth-father was of the Australian First Nations

This truth was denied - never given any credence - by my family - and I do feel for the unnumbered people sacrificed for white supremacy -

My son never knew the truth about his birth father - he died before I found his birth-mother - he never knew I had the statistics into the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody changed and I wish he did because he was so unhappy - suspecting but never knowing the truth

I think often that there is little we can do alone - I did this - it is a small thing but something I am proud of.

I feel so deeply for our First Australians - the white people took their land, their cultures, their dignity and worst of all - their children - if everyone did a little bit that they could it might make a difference

Dec

I remember I was at uni studying Aboriginal Studies in 1992 when this decision was handed down. It's tragic that Eddie Mabo died 5 months before the judgement.

We wrote long essays on the concept of 'terra nullius'. The High Court result was such a time of hope. I feel that Mabo Day is definitely a day of celebration, despite the work that still needs to be done.

---

@Owlunar wrote:

I feel so deeply for our First Australians - the white people took their land, their cultures, their dignity and worst of all - their children - if everyone did a little bit that they could it might make a difference

---

Me too, @Owlunar . And I was also studying Aboriginal Languages - the loss of the languages was intrinsically linked with loss of culture and identity. But the loss of the children was the worst.

Hey there @Owlunar, thank you so much for sharing what Mabo day meant for you.

I feel sad knowing the grief and loss of your son, and I can hear you feel so deeply for the pain he experienced. But what you did for your son sounds very significant and I'm glad you are proud of that 🌻

@NatureLover that must have been incredible to experience the decision being handed down (I was too young to remember), what a huge thing for this country. It sounds like there's a lot of hope but a lot of sadness too.

I like what you wrote @Owlunar "If everyone did a little bit that they could it might make a difference."