Hey Party People,
If you’ve been following the media last week you would have seen the headlines about the bodies of 215 indigenous children that were found at the Kamloops Residential School site. Children who had been forcibly removed from their parents, some as young as three, were taken to these schools to live out a trauma so many of us will never understand.
I’ve been struggling with how to respond to this tragedy and someone told me, maybe now is not the time to respond, its time to listen. So that is what I’m going to do.
Instead of reading my words this week I’d like to encourage you learn something about our indigenous brothers and sisters. Check out some of the below resources.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
You can also check out this announcement from the Calgary Foundation where they list a number of indigenous organizations that you could donate to if that was something you felt called to do.
I also just recently learned about the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. A cultural and education centre located on the lands where Treaty 7 was signed on September 22, 1877. They created an e-book to share the story of how this place came to be.
And I want to remind you that at the end of the day we are all human and we all deserve to be treated and remembered as such.
With Gratitude and a heavy heart,
-S
