Today, 26 January, is Invasion/Survival Day.
The NT Greens acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land we live on.
This always was, and always will be, unceded Aboriginal land – from all the way up in Munupi country on Tiwi, down to Anangu country around Uluru.
Today is a day of mourning, marking 235 years since the British invaded this country and started stealing the land, children, and futures of First Nations people. This legacy of genocide is reflected in decades of racist and paternalistic laws, the nation’s silence on the massacres against Aboriginal people, and in the over-incarceration we see today.
Today, rather than celebrate this shameful truth, we will turn up and protest, standing in solidarity and amplifying the voices of Elders and First Nations people.
What can you do?
You can show solidarity with First Nations people in the Territory by attending rallies in the Red Centre, and the Top End by attending:
Invasion Day Mparntwe 2023: 9.30am at the Hospital Lawns.
Garamilla/Darwin: 10am Don Dale, Wongabilla St, Berrimah, organised by Close Don Dale NOW
You can commit to learning more about the history of January 26th, and its ongoing impacts on First Nations people. Check out some of the resources below:
Common Ground – https://www.commonground.org.au/articles/australia-day
Clothing The Gaps – https://www.clothingthegaps.com.au/blogs/blogs/8things-you-need-to-know-about-january-26
NITV – https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-to-be-an-ally-to-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people
You can get behind and go to local First Nations movements:
Pertame School School Fundraiser – https://chuffed.org/project/pertame-homeland-classroom
Children’s Ground- https://childrensground.org.au/
Strong Grandmothers Group from the Central Desert Region
IRAG – Intervention Rollback Action Group – Alice Springs, donate via BSB 633-000 Acc 134157049
Close Don Dale NOW – https://closedondale.com/
Pay the Rent Grassroots Collective – https://paytherent.net.au/
What are the NT Greens doing?
We believe that First Nations culture, language, and right to self-determination is a priority for the NT, not just tomorrow but every day. First Nations communities have the answers, and those in charge need to cede power so they can drive their own solutions.
You can read the Blak Greens’ work and policies here – https://firstnations.greens.org.au/policies/
We will continue to advocate and elevate our First Nations voices. Only through self-determination and power-shifting will we dismantle the historical and current colonial injustices, including systemic racism, lateral violence, over-incarceration and intergenerational poverty and trauma.
There is change coming in this country for the love of the Territory and its future.
In solidarity,
The NT Greens.
Image credit: David Foster