January 26th

Every time we enter a new year the conversation begins again in the media, online, and at the workplace whether we should celebrate a national holiday on the 26th of January. We all know the reason why this date was chosen and why many people refer to it as Invasion Day. What I didn’t know - and let’s be honest most white people like me don’t know - is the long history of resistance that has occurred on this date-. All these events in just the last 100 years, long before January 26th became an official public holiday in 1994.

All the information in this piece has come from Deadly Stories, AIATSIS, Creative Spirits, and NAIDOC. I’ve decided not to refer to the official website for the public holiday because they’ve been called out for their propaganda, misleading slogans, and information.

Before the 1920s, on January 26th Aboriginal rights groups boycotted what was then known as ‘Anniversary day’, in protest against the status and treatment of First Nations People. Sorry to Skynews and all the internet trolls, but being against 'Australia Day' isn't a new thing, and the divide in opinion was never because of the media.

These groups realized that every year their boycotts were largely being ignored by the broader public, who were ignorant to their claims. They decided that if the movement were to make progress, it would need to be active.

The two main organizations that emerged were the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association (AAPA) in 1924 and the Australian Aborigines League (AAL) in 1932.

In 1935, the leader of AAL was William Cooper - now remember this face and name. He made a huge statement by drafting a petition to send to King George the 5th, asking for special Aboriginal electorates in Federal Parliament. It was sent to England because the Australian Government believed that the petition fell outside its constitutional responsibilities.

The other group, APA, was an all-Aboriginal body, formed in 1937 with Jack Patten as president and Bill Ferguson as secretary.

The next year, January 26 1938, the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the First Fleet landing, over a thousand Aboriginal people marched the streets of Gadigal country also known as Sydney, in protest, ending at the Australia Hall. This was one of the first major civil rights gatherings in the world, it was known as the Day of Morning.

Following the march to congress, a deputation led by William Cooper was presented to Prime Minister Joseph Lyons with a proposed national policy for Aboriginal people. This was again rejected because once again the Government didn’t hold constitutional powers in relation to Aboriginal people.

The successful turnout for the Day of Mourning teamed with the unsatisfying result from the Prime Minister created a growing feeling that this should be a regular event. AIATSIS states that it became the inspiration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activism throughout the remainder of the twentieth century.

Every year the Day of Mourning became an annual event on January 26th. To the point that in 1940 the AAL was able to persuade many religious denominations to declare the Sunday before Australia Day as ‘Aboriginal Sunday’ also known as Aborigines Day.

This continued until 1955 when Aborigines Day was shifted to the first Sunday in July after it was decided it shouldn't just continue as a day of protest but also a celebration of Aboriginal culture.

In 1956, major Aboriginal organizations, a number of church groups, state and federal governments all supported the formation of the National Aborigines Day of Observance Committee. The very first NADOC, until in 1991 it expanded to recognize the Torres Strait Islander people and culture. Changing their name to NAIDOC.

Back in the early 1960s, both the AAL and the APA would reform, reshape and become the driving force calling for a constitutional referendum that would take place on May 27th in 1967. Over 90% of people who voted said Yes to changing the constitution for Aboriginal people. This was the landmark victory that William Cooper had been fighting for over 30 years, since January 26th in 1935 when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders weren’t recognized as humans on this land. The man is a legend, he’s basically our Martin Luther King Jr, so why aren't we talking about him more.

Back in 1984, NAIDOC suggested that Sunday 3rd of July become a national public holiday, ‘to help celebrate and recognize the rich cultural history that makes this country unique.’ The idea was declined by the government and to this day NAIDOC week still hasn’t got its public holiday. There also isn’t one for Reconciliation week at the end of May, yet we have public holidays for carnivals, football grand finals, and animal abuse (The Melbourne Cup).

The theme for NAIDOC this year is “Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up”, which seems pretty relevant to the topic.

The history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activism and all of the incredible people that made a change should be spoken about and recognized. It's time we celebrated the true heroes in this country, who fought for what is right, not just what is white.

From the first Day of Mourning on January 26th 1938, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Redfern, the Bicentenary protest in 1988, and countless other important events we settlers don’t teach. Let’s talk William Cooper, Jack Patten, Bill Ferguson, and Pearl Gibbs to name just a few of the First Nations People who changed history in this country, and learn the stories that happened before 1788.

I don’t know if we should have a national holiday since we’ve got a long way to make things right and create Reconciliation. But I know I'd rather my nephew celebrate the longest living culture than this.

Thank you for going Beyond a Thought with January 26th. Follow accurate sources on social media like NITV, IndigenousX, and Clothing the Gaps to stay in the know. Get to the Invasion Day Protest, support Blak businesses and keep up the allyship.