rights and freedoms

By georgi.h
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    Stolen Generations

    From the late nineteenth century until the 1970s, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are
    removed from their families to be brought up in white families or state-run institutions. They become
    known as the ‘Stolen Generations’.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not counted in the Census

    In the first census after Australian Federation in 1901, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not counted.

  • Assimilation Policy

    An assimilation policy is introduced in 1937 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of mixed race are to be assimilated into white society.

  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights

    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

  • School Segregation becomes illegal

    In 1954 (in the case of Brown vs the Board of Education) the US Supreme Court rules segregation in
    US schools to be unconstitutional (illegal).

  • Death of Emmet Till

    The case of Emmett Till in 1955 – in which a 14-year-old Black American boy was murdered for talking
    to a white woman – brings national attention to the issue of race relations in the United States.

  • Rosa Parks - Bus Incident

    In 1955, Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat to a white passenger on an Alabama bus.

  • Little Rock Central High School

    In 1957, nine Black American students try to enrol at the all-white Little Rock Central High School,
    Arkansas. The US army is sent in to enforce their right to attend the school.

  • Freedom Riders

    In the early 1960s, a mixed group of Black Americans and white Americans ride buses throughout the southern states testing the end of segregation. Known as the ‘Freedom Riders’, the group exposes that many southern states are ignoring the rulings of the Supreme Court.

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Speech

    The March on Washington in 1963 sees around 250 000 people attend to hear Dr Martin Luther King Jr. give his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech.

  • Wave Hill Walk-off

    In the Wave Hill Walk-off in 1966, Aboriginal pastoral (farm) workers demand equal pay and a return
    of their traditional lands. This is the first Aboriginal land rights claim.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Voting Referendum

    In the 1967 referendum, the Australian people vote ‘yes’ to counting Aboriginal and Torres Strait
    Islander people in the census. This would lead to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also
    obtaining full voting rights.

  • The Aboriginal flag is designed.

    The Aboriginal flag is designed in 1971.

  • ‘Redfern Park’ Speech

    Prime Minister Paul Keating gives his famous ‘Redfern Park’ speech in 1992, acknowledging past
    injustices towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

  • Native Title Act

    Eddie Mabo wins native title to his family’s land on Murray Island in 1992. This decision is followed by the Native Title Act in 1993.

  • The Native Title Amendment Act

    The Native Title Amendment Act of 1997 effectively overturns native title.

  • Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generations

    In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says sorry to the Stolen Generations.