Saturday, September 12, 2009

Apology Alliance

Alas is a member of Apology Alliance and as such, we are bought together with other groups around Australia under the Declaration of Profound Loss.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

To the future of healthy relationships and reunions.
all the best

Anonymous said...

AN APOLOGY IS MOST IMPORTANT. CHRIS COLE IS TO BE APPLAUDED FOR HER TIRELESS WORK TO MAKE THIS A REALITY. TO THOSE MOTHERS WHO ARE BOGGED DOWN IN THE "ARGY BARGY" OF THE WHITE VERUS BLACK DEBATE, DO THEY NOT REALISE WE ARE ON THE SAME SIDE. WE ARE ALL WOMEN, SISTERS WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH & SURVIVED A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE. LET US PULL TOGETHER FOR THE COMMON GOOD & NOT BE SIDETRACKED BY THOSE WITH OTHER AGENDAS. AS THE
DECENDANT OF A FIRST FLEET CONVICT
I KNOW THAT MY FEMALE RELATIVES WORKED WITH, NOT AGAINST THEIR INDIGINOUS FEMALE COUNTERPARTS WHEN THEY SETTLED IN N.S.W & TASMANIA. THEY HAD TO, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE & PROSPER. MAYBE, THERE IS A LESSON IN THIS FOR ALL OF THOSE BLINDLY FOLLOWING THE SELF-APPOINTED ARBITRATOR WHOSE LIFE WORK IS CAUSING DISCORD AT A CRITICAL TIME IN POLITICAL HISTORY.
CHRIS COLE IS WORKING FOR ALL MOTHERS...BLACK & WHITE. LET HER GET ON WITH THE WONDERFUL WORK SHE IS DOING. I, FOR ONE, AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL. I AM AN ADOPTEE & A BIRTH MOTHER. I SEE BOTH SIDES OF THE SITUATION. I INVITE OTHERS TO POST THEIR THOUGHTS.

L.C.

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Anonymous said...

Dear L.C.,

Thank you for your invitation to respond to your comments.

The people of the Stolen Generation suffered discrimination on the grounds of race. In contrast, people separated by forced adoption during the period in question (1950-1980 approx), suffered discrimination on the grounds of marital status.

Therefore,I don't see what either group has to do with the colour of the skin, though white babies were in higher demand in the predominantly Caucasian society in which the forced adoptions took place, naturally, and, as it just so happens, the indigenous people against whom the crimes of the Stolen Generation were perpetrated happened to be black-skinned (in another time and place, they might be white-skinned).

At heart we are dealing with rights that go beyond the colour of the skin; that is, with human rights. So why White Stolen Generation? It is a divisive and inflammatory term. That is why our indigenous brothers and sisters call themselves the Stolen Generation rather than the Black Stolen Generation.

I hope those responsible for the White Stolen Generation will come up with a better umbrella - one which shelters those of every skin colour, that is.

The bumper adoption era and beyond witnessed the forced adoptions of babies of every skin colour, just as people of every skin colour have been discriminated against on the basis of skin colour.