The Kid Laroi acknowledges Stolen Generations on stage in Sydney before performing during National Sorry Day.
While The Kid Laroi was performing on stage in Sydney last night, May 25th, 2022, he took the time to acknowledge Stolen Generation survivors. In the clip below, Laroi can be heard addressing the”struggle and pain” of the stolen generations and reminding his fans that everyone should be reflecting on the meaning of the day.
Kid Laroi is First Nations, his name being a tribute to the Kamilaroi people, and is often outspoken and proud of his Kamilaroi heritage on his mother’s side. Laroi’s great, great grandfather was part of the Stolen Generations.
Reconciliation.org.au describes the origins of National Sorry Day as such:
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament. The Bringing Them Home report is a result of a Government Inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.
Following this, in 2000, there was one issue that was high on the agenda at the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk for reconciliation – an apology to the Stolen Generations.
It was also high in the sky, when a group of people – independent to the organisation of the walk – had the word ‘sorry’ written in the clear blue skies above the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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Such was the intensity of feeling and support for Stolen Generations members – many of whom were among the huge crowd that day.
Despite the intensity of feeling and support for Stolen Generation members that was expressed, today, 12 years since the national apology, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still 10.6 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be removed from their families.
The article linked continues to address the practical data of the situation— that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are being removed from their families more than ever.
Below is an excerpt from SNAICC that shares alarming figures since the national apology occurred, showing that actions aren’t meeting the apology that was made.
In the 12 years that have followed the national apology, the number of our children removed from family and kin continues to grow.
As at February 2020, there are 17,979 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in out-of-home care (an increase of 39% from last year’s Review on Government Services report). This number does not include large numbers of children on permanent care orders or who have been adopted so the actual number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who have been removed from their families is far higher.
Our children are now 10.6 times more likely to be removed from their families than non-Indigenous children. If urgent action is not taken, that rate is projected to double in the next 10 years.
