People Are Really Getting Behind Jordan Raskopoulos’ Campaign To #ChangeTheDate To May 8
Mark the day in your calendars, there are already parties planned.
When comedian Jordan Raskopoulos proposed a new date for Australia Day, she probably didn’t expect the groundswell of support that followed.
What started as a tweet to #changethedate to May 8 (or “maaaaaaate”) has now turned into a viral campaign that’s gathered a bunch of momentum this week. In a video posted on Junkee’s Facebook page on Wednesday, the Axis of Awesome frontwoman argued that Australia Day should be celebrated on “the most Australian day of all” instead of January 26, which she describes as a “shitty day” for Indigenous Australians.
“Sure, it might be a bit cold in May,” she said, “but it’s not as cold as ignoring genocide.”
At the time of writing, the clip has racked up more 6.2 million views, 81,000 likes and 77,000 shares. It’s reportedly even been endorsed by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Greens Senator @sarahinthesen8 gets behind @JordanRasko‘s #changethedate May 8 #maaate #AustraliaDay campaign.
— Alice Workman (@workmanalice) January 26, 2017
Ten News presenter Hugh Riminton weighed in as well, with one potential sticking point.
My main objection to moving #AustraliaDay to May 8 (Ma-ate!) is I’m still getting over my #StarWars dress ups on May The Fourth.
— Hugh Riminton (@hughriminton) January 26, 2017
And while there has been no official response to the campaign from Canberra (none that we know of, at least), May 8 parties have already begun to pop up on Facebook. More than 1,000 people have registered their interest in an event at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
“What better day could there be to rejoice in our country and the good things it stands for, than a day whose name says ‘mate’!,” the event description says.
According to Twitter, the number of tweets using the #changethedate hashtag has grown by 1,200 percent since last year. It’s hard to know how or when those conversations will translate to real changes, but boycotting Invasion Day and throwing an inclusive celebration on May 8 isn’t a bad step to take.