National Reconciliation Week: 27 May - 3 June

 






At James Cook University, we acknowledge Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the first inhabitants of this nation and acknowledge Traditional Owners of the lands where our staff and students live, learn and work.

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) began in 1993 as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation and was celebrated by people from many different faith communities. In 1996, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation launched Australia’s first NRW. The following year, Reconciliation Australia took the lead in promoting national reconciliation.

The intent of NRW is twofold – to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures.

This year’s theme, More than a word: Reconciliation takes action, focuses on the latter – the actions we can take to further reconciliation. Action has always been at the heart of NRW. The start and end dates of the week, 27 May and 3 June, commemorate the efforts resulting in the successful 1967 Referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. In 2000, about 300,000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge to raise community awareness and show support for reconciliation.

What action will you take this year to help make reconciliation a reality? To get involved at a community level, see the full calendar of events on the Reconciliation Australia website, or check out what is happening in Townsville and Cairns

On a personal level, 

 reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Reconciliation Australia, 2021).

The Library has many resources to increase understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, history and culture, and the ongoing path of reconciliation. Find out more in the Indigenous Studies Guide or view selected titles in One Search.

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