What you should NEVER do on Australia Day

Social media influencers are using their platforms to share tips on how young people can support First Nations people on Australia Day, and activities revelers should avoid.

January 26, which marks the raising of the British flag on Australian soil in 1788 after the First Fleet reached Sydney Harbour, is regarded as “invasion day” by many First Nations people.

In viral videos, popular creators have made ‘tutorials’ offering advice to their thousands of followers on how to face the day with cultural sensitivity.

His suggestions include declining invitations to the Australia Day party and donating wages to charity if you have to work on that day.

Wiradjuri, Gomeroi and Awabakal user Meissa Mason, who has more than 110,000 followers, encouraged those who work on Australia Day to donate their extra earnings to charity.

“A couple of people have PMed me and said they don’t celebrate Invasion Day and would rather work, but also feel uncomfortable taking advantage of Invasion Day by getting time and a half or double rates.” ,’ she said.

‘Something you can do is calculate your payroll to see what you got in your regular rates, and then take that percentage that you got for double pay or pay and a half and donate it to an organization, movement or indigenous group. .

“That way, you are not profiting from Invasion Day and are directly supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”

Barkindji, Wakawaka and Birrigubba Tiktok influencer Emily Johnson shared a ‘tutorial’ titled ‘No pride in genocide’, showing her 78,000 followers how to decline invitations to events held on the holiday.

“For me personally, it’s fine if you want to enjoy the public holiday, but calling your event ‘Invasion Day’ is just gross,” he wrote in a caption.

Non-indigenous activist Ella Jae offered her 60,200 supporters a ‘reminder’ that we should not ‘celebrate the genocide’, calling for the date to be moved from January 26 to May 8.

Barkindji, Wakawaka and Birrigubba Tiktok influencer Emily Johnson (pictured) shared a tutorial on how to decline Australia Day party invites

“If we want to celebrate Australia, it should be a day that is inclusive of everyone so everyone can have fun,” he said in the video that has been viewed more than 100,000 times.

He compared having a party on Australia Day to skipping a loved one’s funeral and going straight to ‘kicking’ and refuted the common argument that atrocities against indigenous peoples ‘happened a long time ago’.

“Trauma continues through generations, that pain is still felt by the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of First Nations people,” he said.

And second, you can’t decide what’s offensive or harmful to a community you’re not a part of.

“If you choose to be ignorant and not educate yourself, you are part of the problem.”

Date change advocate Jaz Karati described how she and her Maori family used to celebrate the holiday until they learned of its cultural significance.

“When we first moved here 10 years ago, we were unaware of the history of that date, so we were celebrating with many of our Australian friends,” he said.

Ella Jae (pictured) explained that trauma can be passed down from generation to generation, and celebrating January 26 is unethical.

Jaz Karati, a self-described Aboriginal ally, admitted that she used to celebrate Australia Day until she realized the historical and cultural significance of the date.

“As soon as we learned the real story and why that date is important to Aboriginal people, it became a no-brainer so we stopped celebrating.”

Ms Karati said white Australian friends have justified celebrating the holiday because they “were not racist” as they did not “hate Aboriginal people”.

‘I said, ‘you are wrong. You think racism is rooted in hate, but it isn’t. It is rooted in ignorance, willful ignorance, because you know the story and you continue to celebrate.’

“If you care about Aboriginal people, you wouldn’t be celebrating invasion, genocide, rape, murder and colonization.

Comedian Tilly Langford, a woman from Gumbaynggir, frequently shares content with her more than 38,600 TikTok followers, championing a number of social justice causes, including class inequality, sexism, and racial injustice.

The political commentator said that, to her, the national holiday represents continuing disparities between Indigenous Australians and other members of the community.

“The day of the invasion, for me, symbolizes a lot of my personal conflicts with ‘Australia,'” he said. News.com.au.

‘I want to love this country. I want to take care of it and cherish it just as my ancestors did. But I can’t, because of the way things are now, the blood and the carnage and the sheer indifference.

Comedian and Gumbaynggir wife Tilly Langford (pictured) says she “can’t love Australia” because of ongoing racial injustice and brutal history of colonization.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, he sent strength to his fellow Indigenous Australians.

Australia Day, celebrated on the date British Royal Navy ships raised a British flag at Sydney Cove, called Warrane after the Aboriginal people who fished and lived there, continues to drive divisions between the younger and older generations.

In recent years, the day has been marked by widespread protests in cities across the country, as thousands of indigenous supporters lament the culture’s painful history and call for the holiday’s date to be changed.

A recent survey by Core Data found “a gender and generational divide among Australians over the meaning of the day and its position on the calendar.”

The research consultant asked if people planned to celebrate, if they supported moving the holiday to another date, and how their views had changed in recent years.

Overall, 54 per cent of respondents said they planned to celebrate the occasion, 30 per cent saying they would celebrate Australia’s history and achievements and 15 per cent “just because it was a public holiday”.

More than two-thirds of those surveyed 26 and younger say they won’t celebrate on January 26, and just over 30 percent say they will.

But more than 80 percent of them support changing the date in order to improve relations with the indigenous population, as do more than 70 percent of those between the ages of 27 and 41.

Support for the change fell among older respondents, with just over 30 percent of those ages 56 to 75 and 25 percent of seniors supporting a date change.

People carry banners as thousands attend an Australia Day protest in Melbourne on January 26, 2021.