Question: the aboriginal day of mourning january 26th 1938

title: Day of Mourning (Australia)
text: The day began with a march through the streets of Sydney , which was attended by both Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous supporters . The march began at the Sydney Town Hall , and concluded at the major event on the day , the Day of Mourning Congress , a political meeting for Aboriginal people only . It attracted many major Aboriginal leaders , including Pearl Gibbs and Margaret Tucker . The protesters had originally intended to hold the Congress in the Sydney Town Hall , but they were refused access , and instead held it at the nearby Australian Hall in Elizabeth Street . They were not allowed in through the front door and were told they could only enter through the rear door . The Congress was open to all Aboriginal people , and about 100 people attended , making it one of the first mass civil rights gatherings . The APA and AAL distributed a manifesto at the meeting , Aborigines Claim Citizens ' Rights , produced by Patten and APA secretary William Ferguson . The manifesto opened with a declaration that `` This festival of 150 years ' so - called ' progress ' in Australia commemorates also 150 years of misery and degradation imposed on the original native inhabitants by white invaders of this country . ''