Blog 6 -- A Stolen Generation

When the British began colonizing Australia, they took whatever land, food, and resources they wanted from the Aborigines. Without caring what the natives had to say, they made the Aborigines move off their lands and migrate to somewhere else on the continent. They drafted the natives into slavery, and forced them to be labor workers for the European farms. They enacted a harsh set of rules over the Aborigines and paid no attention to the natives when they pleaded for justice. Also, when the white men began impregnating the native women, who then gave birth to mixed-race children, our government took the children away from their families. Many of these mixed-race children were what become known as the Stolen Generation. Under a government policy that ran from 1910 to 1971, as many as one in ten aboriginal children was removed from their families in an attempt to “civilize” them and make them function in a white society. The children were expected to grow up in a white family and become a part of the society as “white” children. These children were ripped away from the only home and family they’d ever known, and were folded into a family of perfect strangers who are as different from them as possible.  Many children were physically or sexually abused or exploited in the labor market, and many of these children’s lives led to alcoholism, drugs, violence, and abusive behavior. This didn't make them feel any better about the situation they were in, but what could we do? These days, the Aboriginal people celebrate Journey of Healing Day, which honors this event. They didn't want just an apology; they wanted to be their own people and have freedom. This event was important to Australian history; however, it should be as important to everyone in the world as the Holocaust, or World War One. Make it important to you.