05/31/2021
Though I love the city I have been born and raised in and love this country of Canada, I have never felt more shame and sadness when I think of them both as I have this weekend.
Growing up in Kamloops, I was acutely aware of this Residential school as I was a young girl when it closed. Though there were field trips to the site through my school years it was only to the museum that was subsequently developed onsite.
We learned generally about the Tk’emlúps and Secwépemc nations, but there was only a whisper of mention of the fact that this site was created as a residential school and that there were Indigenous children there but not HOW or WHY in any depth.
Having lived nearly my whole life in Kamloops, I have heard only vague, air brushed stories of what went on at that school, but enough that I felt sadness each time I drove by it. Now it will be at a whole other level of sadness and shame.
We have had friends and family from Italy and Japan contacting us all weekend as this horrific news has spread around the world.
It’s time to grieve, be educated and take action. Reposting this as a start.
Posted • 🗣Please Share & Amplify
➡️Our history in Canada is horrifying, & until we acknowledge that & recognize the truth, we will continue upholding systems built on a foundation of racism, violence & harm without question.
215 Indigenous children were found buried at a Kamloops residential school site, some as young as THREE years old.
That residential school only closed in 1978. The last residential school closed in 1996. This isn't some distant history that we are talking about.
And Indigenous people continue to be oppressed in this country, the effects are very much felt in present day.
We should be collectively grieving this atrocity as a country.
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Please share any accounts or resources we should follow here or link on www.OnCanadaProject.ca/SettlersTakeAction
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Support is available for anyone affected by the lingering effects of residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports. The Indian Residential School Survivours Society (IRSSS) can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-721-0066.
@ Kamloops, British Columbia