Two years ago we met as a movement to pray on the anniversary of Wayne Fella Morrison's Aboriginal Death in Custody. This year, we are calling you to prayer once again, online and in your home.
There have been over 540 Aboriginal Deaths in Custody since 1980 - over 440 of these since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody released their report in 1991 with 339 recommendations, with only a handful of these recommendations being implemented.
On Saturday September 26th, the 4th anniversary of the Aboriginal Death in Custody of Wayne Fella Morrison, we invite you to take time to learn the names and stories of three Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and to pray, taking a minute silence at 5:40pm - representing the over 540 Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
You are welcome to join an online prayer vigil led by Aunty Ravina Waldren, Brooke Prentis and Bianca Manning on Saturday 26th September between 5:30-6:00pm AEST. The prayer vigil will be live-streamed on Facebook (@commongraceaus) and will include a time of sharing, lament, prayer and a minute silence at 5:40pm. See the Facebook event here.
You can find prayer resources here and if you would like to hold your own prayer vigil, resources can be found here. These resources are designed for you to use anytime but we'd love you to set aside time to use them on September 26th.
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody investigated 99 Aboriginal deaths in custody from 1980-1990. Since the release of the report in 1991, at least at least 445 Aboriginal people have died in custody.
The Guardian's Deaths Inside is an online database of 164 Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in every jurisdiction from 2008-2020. We encourage you to access this database here to learn the names and stories of Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
To learn more about Aboriginal Deaths in Custody click here.