Australia has an official Sorry Day as part of National Reconciliation Week. This is a week where the federal government of Australia "encourages Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to recommit to reconciliation and justice for First Nations' People.
What is Sorry Day? "Every May 26 in Australia, National Sorry Day reminds the colonist-descended people of the nation to remember the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Why? During the 20th century, Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families to be 'assimilated' into white Australian culture.
"They are known as the 'Stolen Generations.' It took several Australian government administrations coming and going before an apology was officially offered to the Indigenous Australians, but it finally was made official, and actions are still being undertaken to this day to repair the damage caused by tearing native families apart,” per National Today.
Matt Walsh shared a post from a mom in Australia who said she was keeping her son home from school for Sorry Day. She wrote "Today was sorry day at my eldest sons school so I have him the day off because we have nothing to be sorry for and I am sick to fucking death of my white sons being guilt tripped." She later deleted the post after Walsh made it go viral.
One commenter said, "I bet the school looooves having to deal with you during parent/teacher interviews and parent evenings... I'm almost positive they draw straws to see who your kid gets as a teacher each year." The meaning is that if this mother doesn't want her children to be held accountable for the alleged sins of previous generations, she must not be a very good person. Forcible white guilt is seen as a moral good in Australia and in many other nations in the English commonwealth nations.
Many other parents, however, chimed in to say that they agreed that white children should not be held accountable for the alleged crimes of their colonialist ancestors. Many of those alleged colonizers, however, were sent to Australia by England as punishment, so it's not like they were able to stay where they were.
To find more about this Sorry Day and the Reconciliation Week, one must head to Reconciliation.org. As with many websites, Reconciliation.org has a pop-up before entering the site. This one is a land acknowledgement which reads:
"Reconciliation Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away."
"Every year," the site states, "workplaces, schools, early learning services, community groups, reconciliation groups, and people right across the country host a range of activities and events during National Reconciliation Week."
Header graphic is AI.
What is Sorry Day? "Every May 26 in Australia, National Sorry Day reminds the colonist-descended people of the nation to remember the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Why? During the 20th century, Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families to be 'assimilated' into white Australian culture.
"They are known as the 'Stolen Generations.' It took several Australian government administrations coming and going before an apology was officially offered to the Indigenous Australians, but it finally was made official, and actions are still being undertaken to this day to repair the damage caused by tearing native families apart,” per National Today.
Matt Walsh shared a post from a mom in Australia who said she was keeping her son home from school for Sorry Day. She wrote "Today was sorry day at my eldest sons school so I have him the day off because we have nothing to be sorry for and I am sick to fucking death of my white sons being guilt tripped." She later deleted the post after Walsh made it go viral.
One commenter said, "I bet the school looooves having to deal with you during parent/teacher interviews and parent evenings... I'm almost positive they draw straws to see who your kid gets as a teacher each year." The meaning is that if this mother doesn't want her children to be held accountable for the alleged sins of previous generations, she must not be a very good person. Forcible white guilt is seen as a moral good in Australia and in many other nations in the English commonwealth nations.
Many other parents, however, chimed in to say that they agreed that white children should not be held accountable for the alleged crimes of their colonialist ancestors. Many of those alleged colonizers, however, were sent to Australia by England as punishment, so it's not like they were able to stay where they were.
To find more about this Sorry Day and the Reconciliation Week, one must head to Reconciliation.org. As with many websites, Reconciliation.org has a pop-up before entering the site. This one is a land acknowledgement which reads:
"Reconciliation Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away."
"Every year," the site states, "workplaces, schools, early learning services, community groups, reconciliation groups, and people right across the country host a range of activities and events during National Reconciliation Week."
Header graphic is AI.
