The World Day of Prayer for the Sick was initiated by St John Paul II in 1992. It coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Pope Francis' messages for the World Day of the Sick can be found here. Catholic trivia: did you know that Pope Benedict XVI announced his decision to resign… Read More »World Day of Prayer for the Sick
In 2015 the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to establish an annual International Day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. You can read about the decision in Resolution A/RES/70/212. UNESCO and UN-Women are the two UN agencies responsible for the implementation of the Day's celebration.
A group of Sydney University students organised a bus tour through western and coastal New South Wales towns in 1965. As the National Museum of Australia website explains: Their purpose was threefold. The students planned to draw public attention to the poor state of Aboriginal health, education and housing. They hoped to point out and… Read More »1965: Freedom Ride in Australia Begins
On this day Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized to Indigenous Australians, and especially the Stolen Generation, for past government policies of removing First Nations children from their families. The National Museum of Australia explains here how the journey to a national apology began with the Bringing Them Home Report. Watch the apology in the video… Read More »2008: Apology to the Stolen Generation by the Australian Government
Faith Bandler AC, activist for Indigenous and South Sea Islander rights, passed away on this day in 2005. An obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald highlighted her achievements: Faith Bandler changed people's hearts and minds in support of human rights and social justice. Her smile, no doubt, helped. The National Trust listed her as a… Read More »2015: Death of Faith Bandler AC
Today we remember twenty three year old asylum seeker Reza Barati who was killed in riots at the Regional Processing Centre (RPC) on Manus Island. A Senate Committee inquiry later found that the Australian Government had failed in its duty to protect him, and other asylum seekers, from harm. Here is an extract from the… Read More »2014: Murder of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati in offshore immigration detention on Manus Island
On 26 November 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared that, starting from 2008, 20 February will be celebrated annually as the World Day of Social Justice. It invited Member States to: devote this special day to the promotion, at the national level, of concrete activities in accordance with the objectives and goals… Read More »World Day of Social Justice
As the United Nations' website explains: Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education and development, are of strategic importance for people and planet. Yet, due to globalization processes, they are increasingly under threat, or disappearing altogether. When languages fade, so does the world's rich tapestry of cultural diversity. Opportunities, traditions, memory,… Read More »International Mother Language Day