Foundation calls for sharing of First Nations truth
23 January 2023 at 4:46 pm
The Sharing Stories Foundation’s campaign elevates First Nations experiences and allows communities to share their truth.
Not for profit Sharing Stories Foundation has launched a campaign for January 26, encouraging students and older people to learn more about the day and what it means to First Nations communities.
The Moment of Truth campaign has been several months in the making and has three aspects: Educate, Contemplate and Circulate.
To educate, Sharing Stories has gathered a number of resources through its social enterprise Jajoo Warrngara to share First Nations perspectives on the day.
They include lived experience and voice, including that of Bangarang cultural custodian Roland Atkinson and Jaara elder Uncle Rick Nelson.
The resources explore things like the impact of colonisation, the First Fleet and Frontier Wars and the significance of historical landmarks, and include a mix of audio-visual and written resources.
The campaign then asks audiences to contemplate their place in Australia, and circulate their moment of truth by sharing the campaign with loved ones.
Pitta Pitta woman and co-CEO education at Sharing Stories, Sharon Williams said January 26 could be a difficult day for First Nations communities.
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She said negative sentiments shared on social media were “overbearing and very depressing”.
The difference voices included in the campaign provide an opportunity to see the different perspectives the First Nations community has on January 26, she added.
“That’s the message that we want to put out there; we just want to put all the information out there as educators so that people can make informed decisions about how they feel about it. We are just hoping that if people have a better understanding, they will be more open to how it makes people feel,” she said.
Williams said the wider community seemed to be more open to contemplating the brutal truth of colonialism.
Earlier this month, Woolworths made headlines when it announced it would allow staff to work the public holiday and take a day off at another time.
Late last year, Channel 10 announced in a company-wide email that “January 26 is not a day of celebration” and said it would permit staff to work on the public holiday if they choose.
“It is becoming a time, I think, where people are starting to listen more to First Nations voices. It’s actually really quite interesting to listen because these major organisations are copping a little bit of heat about their stance. But it is true that these major organisations and people who are happy to put their voices forward to support First Nations peoples, it’s because of that that we will actually change the tide eventually,” Williams said.
“Truth telling has the power to heal. But education has the power to create generational change. For our Moment of Truth campaign, we are encouraging all Australians to take a moment to step back from the debate and take a step forward towards unity through education.
“We are asking all Australians to talk to their First Nation community members and get their perspective about what this day actually means for first station First Nations peoples as a day of mourning.”
Access the Moment of Truth resources at the Jajoo Warrngara website.
