Australian Aborigines' League facts for kids
The Australian Aborigines' League (AAL) was an important group started in Melbourne, Australia, in 1933. It was founded by William Cooper and other key people like Margaret Tucker, Eric Onus, Anna and Caleb Morgan, and Shadrach James. William Cooper was the secretary of the League.
The League worked to get a "fair deal" for Aboriginal people. They wanted to change unfair laws and create programs to improve the lives of Aboriginal Australians.
Fighting for Rights
One of the League's first big actions was in 1933. They sent a special request, called a petition, to King George V. They asked for Aboriginal people to have a voice in the Australian Parliament. This meant they wanted Aboriginal people to be able to vote and have their own representatives in government.
The League collected 1,814 signatures for this petition. However, William Cooper felt that many Aboriginal people living on missions and reserves were too scared to sign. Missions and reserves were places where Aboriginal people were often forced to live under strict rules.
Day of Mourning
In 1938, the Australian Aborigines' League joined with another group, the New South Wales-based Aborigines Progressive Association. Together, they held a special protest called the Day of Mourning. This event took place on Australia Day (January 26) in Sydney.
The protest aimed to show how badly Aboriginal people were being treated. They demanded full citizenship and equal rights for all Aboriginal Australians. Mr. W. Ferguson, from the Aborigines' Progressive Association, explained their feelings. He said that "protection" from the government had not helped Aboriginal people. Instead, it had led to many problems and diseases. He meant that Aboriginal people wanted to be in charge of their own lives, not just "protected" by others.
In 1939, the League also supported the mass walk-off at Cummeragunja Reserve. This was a protest where many Aboriginal people left the Cummeragunja Reserve to show their unhappiness with the conditions there.
Standing Up for Others
The League didn't just fight for Aboriginal rights in Australia. On December 6, 1938, they also protested against unfair treatment happening far away. After a terrible event called Kristallnacht in Germany, where Jewish people were attacked, William Cooper led a group to the German consulate in Melbourne.
They presented a petition protesting the "cruel persecution of the Jewish people" by the Nazi government. This was one of the very first protests against the Nazis' actions anywhere in the world. It showed that the League cared about human rights for everyone.
After William Cooper
The Australian Aborigines' League became less active after William Cooper passed away in 1941. However, it was brought back to life after World War II by Douglas Nicholls and by Eric and Bill Onus.
In the 1960s, the League changed its name and became the Victorian branch of the Aborigines Advancement League. This new group continued the important work of fighting for Aboriginal rights and improving their lives.
See also
- Aboriginal Advancement League, Victoria (formerly Victorian Aborigines Advancement League)
- Aborigines Progressive Association, New South Wales
- Aborigines' Advancement League of South Australia
- Day of Mourning (Australia)
- Voting rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
