National Sorry Day is a time to remember the Stolen Generations and the resilience they embody. This year marks 29 years since the watershed 1997 Bringing Them Home report about the forcible separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. Establishing a national Sorry Day to commemorate the forcible removal and its effects was a recommendation of this report.
The Bringing Them Home Report detailed the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were impacted and it provides information about the government policies that facilitated it. National Sorry day is an important opportunity to reflect on and understand the profound and ongoing impact of these institutionally racist policies. Acknowledging the realities of our country’s past is integral to the nation’s future and reconciliation efforts.
We all have a role to play in addressing and preventing racism. Recommendations to address systemic and structural racism are set out in The National Anti-Racism Framework developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
