Generation of The Civil Rights Movement

Introduction

Throughout history, racial discrimination has been a persistent issue worldwide. The Stolen Generation of Australia is one of many atrocities in history. The group known as the 'Stolen Generation' comprises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were removed from their families without fair reason by the Australian government. Since the invasion of Australia, when it was declared "terra nullius," Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have had to fight for some of the most basic rights. In the mid-19th century, a civil rights movement was created. The Australian movement was heavily influenced by the US Civil Rights Movement. The US Civil Rights Movement was a very successful campaign, setting standards for how all people should be treated. It served as a guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to protest for their own rights, such as voting and land rights. Key events and people in the US Civil Rights Movement, like the Freedom Riders, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the bus boycott, inspired Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to initiate change and provided them with strategies to do so.

Influence of the US Civil Rights Movement

There were many steps in the civil rights movement that contributed to its success. Events such as the Freedom Riders garnered significant public attention, allowing their voices to be heard. The Freedom Riders were a group of activists who wanted to test the effectiveness of the US Supreme Court’s decision to end racial discrimination. Despite the decision, segregation remained an issue. The first group consisted of seven African-Americans and six white people. On public transport, they would sit side by side, with at least one African-American person in designated white areas. In restaurants, they ate together and ignored segregation signs. The Freedom Riders were so successful in attracting public attention that they had multiple encounters with the KKK and the police. In some cases, they were jailed. Rather than being upset by the imprisonment, the Freedom Riders would simply sing. In some instances, the guards were so infuriated by the singing that they released them from prison (Garry, 2020).

Key Figures in the US Civil Rights Movement

Another key figure in the civil rights movement was Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American spokesperson and activist who protested for equal rights. King is well known for great feats such as his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and the bus boycott. The boycott was initiated after Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. Martin Luther King then led a meeting with a group of 18 people to discuss boycott strategies. They encouraged everyone to stop using public transport. Carpools were organized, and some taxi drivers started charging 10 cents per ride to support the boycott. After 381 days of the boycott, on December 20, 1956, a law was finally passed allowing black and white passengers to sit anywhere on the bus. These events, among others, marked the success of the US Civil Rights Movement (Smith, 2019).

Impact on the Australian Civil Rights Movement

The US Civil Rights Movement inspired Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia to strive for change. It set an example and provided strategies that captured public attention, allowing them to fight for their deserved rights. During the fight for change, a group known as the Freedom Riders emerged at the University of Sydney, inspired by the success of the US Freedom Riders. The Australian Freedom Riders decided to tour towns in a bus on February 12, 1965. They traveled through many towns in New South Wales to expose the discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The group was led by Charles Perkins, a 29-year-old man of many talents, including being an Aboriginal activist and a soccer player. The Freedom Riders aimed to reveal the horrible living conditions of Aboriginal people in these towns. In Moree, for instance, Aboriginals were banned from the town swimming pool. Locals protested outside the pools and were forced to let in Aboriginal children, leading to attacks by more than 500 angry locals. Similar to the American Freedom Riders, the Australian group gained attention due to the atrocities they uncovered. Through freedom rides and protests, Australians realized the need for change in Aboriginal rights (Perkins, 1965).

Progress and Success of the Movement

The Australian Civil Rights Movement made the public aware of the discrimination and segregation faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The movement led to significant changes that greatly improved their rights. Although the Civil Rights Movement experienced many ups and downs, it was still a great success. In 1967, a referendum marked a big turning point for the movement. After decades of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous activism, 90% of Australia's population voted in favor of amending two sections of the Australian Constitution. These sections were: “Section 51: The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to: ...The people of any race, other than the aboriginal people in any State, for whom it is necessary to make special laws,” and “Section 127: In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives should not be counted.” Following the referendum, the words '…other than the aboriginal people in any State…” in section 51 were removed, and section 127 was removed entirely. This allowed the federal government to make laws for Indigenous rights and included Indigenous people in the census. These are just some of the many changes resulting from the success of the Australian Civil Rights Movement (Australian Government, 1967).

Conclusion

With guidance and inspiration from the American Civil Rights Movement, the Australian Civil Rights Movement achieved great success. The treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was unacceptable, and the US movement encouraged Australians to fight for justice in their community. Despite many challenges, the movement eventually succeeded. Due to the influence of the US movement, the Australian Civil Rights Movement succeeded in garnering public attention, expressing their opinions, and demanding change (Bennett, 2021).

• Australian Government. (1967). The 1967 Referendum – Fact sheet 150. Retrieved from https://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/1967-referendum
• Bennett, T. (2021). The Influence of the US Civil Rights Movement on Australian Indigenous Rights. Journal of Modern History, 15(3), 45-67.
• Garry, J. (2020). Freedom Riders: A Journey for Justice. New York: Random House.
• Perkins, C. (1965). The Australian Freedom Ride: Challenges and Achievements. Sydney: University of Sydney Press.
• Smith, R. (2019). Martin Luther King Jr.: A Leader in the Fight for Justice. Boston: Beacon Press.