We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
On 26 January 1938, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet, the first Day of Mourning Protest was held by a group of First Nations people at Australia Hall in Sydney.
First Nations people are warned that this article refers to people now passed to be with our Ancestors.
Disclaimer: The term Aborigine is used throughout this article as it was a term used at the time. It is now considered an offensive term by many First Nations people.
The protest was led by Jack Patten and William Ferguson of the Aborigines* Progressive Association (APA), with the support of William Cooper from the Australian Aborigines* League (AAL).
In early January 1938, the group had announced a conference for First Nations people to attend, where they declared it as a Day of Mourning. The declaration was a significant step in Aboriginal rights history, as a protest of the prejudice and discrimination experienced by First Nations people.
The first Day of Mourning protest followed years of work by the League and the Association, both of which were set up as independent Aboriginal civil rights groups in the 1930s.
Bringing together the APA, based in New South Wales, and AAL, based in Victoria, this protest is considered the first national civil rights protest for First Nations people across the continent.
Established in 1932 by Yorta Yorta man William Cooper in Melbourne. As part of the work of the League, William Cooper circulated a petition across the continent during 1933 and 1934, calling on the government to improve living conditions for Aboriginal people and representation in Parliament.
Membership included Aboriginal activists Margaret Tucker, Eric Onus and Shadrach James.
Established in 1937 by William Ferguson and Jack Patten, the Aborigines Progressive Association focused on the civil rights of Aboriginal people.
This included examining all government proposals concerning Aboriginal people to formulate policies.
The Association was active from 1937 to 1944, and reactivated from 1963 until around 1970 by Herbert Groves.
Since the First Day of Mourning, the image photographed has been circulated countless times capturing a historic moment in Aboriginal rights history.
Pictured in the historic image from the protest from the left is William Ferguson, Jack Kinchela, Isaac Ingram, Doris Williams, Esther Ingram, Arthur Williams, Phillip Ingram, Louisa Agnes Ingram OAM holding daughter Olive Ingram, and Jack Patten.
Since the first Day of Mourning protest, thousands of people gather each year to protest the celebration of 26 January across the continent.
The scale of the protests grows yearly, as more and more people come to understand the true history of Australia, and what 26 January represents for First Nations community.
For example, In 2020, over 100,000 people took part in protest events on the day.
To find out more about this protest visit the AIASTSIS website.
We are a First Nations not-for-profit that exists to centre First Nations people, Country and truth-telling. We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
