Every child matters
Including all those who died
Those who are still being removed from their homes
Those who as adults are suffering, wanting to heal
from addictions, trauma, the woundings of abuse, induced poverty, neglect.
I am old enough now to understand that hundreds of years
of injustice cannot be erased in a moment.
Right now I am thinking about the relationship between Canada and the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.
And.
Today is also the five year anniversary of the Orlando massacre, a hate crime against queer people. Earlier this week, a Muslim family was murdered in London, Ontario, simply, it appears, because of their faith. May 25 was the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, a man whose death gave new meaning to the phrase Black Lives Matter.
Injustices fueled by racism and hate are a virus that we do not yet seem to have a vaccine for. Meanwhile, we must all be loving in all the ways we can muster.
This moment, right now, is all that we have.
Governments need to act.
But we do not need to wait for laws to change, policies to reform, bureaucracies to restructure, find resources, change systems.
Slowly, my friends. Be tender, take care, be respectful. Of your own grief and pain, your courage and strength. And that of each person you meet along the way, whoever they may be. Let no one be lost.
There is no time but the present.
Let us begin. Again. Now.
A suggestion:
To honour the children, their families and communities harmed by crimes committed at residential schools,
Write to your federal Member of Parliament, urging immediate attention to the TRC Calls to Action 71-76, directly related to Missing Children and Residential School Burial Sites. All of the 94 Calls have some implications for the intergenerational well-being of residential school survivors and their families. Not all require government action. But many do. Urge the federal government to commit immediate and significant resources to their full implementation. This will cost money and take time. Our MPs need to know that the Canadian people want reconciliation, healing, resurgence. For us all.
What else to consider:
Here is one list of ways to support Indigenous peoples and their families who have been harmed by residential school, published on June 2, 2021 by CTV news: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/how-to-support-survivors-of-residential-schools-1.5453277
Here is one list of anti-racism resources, from a blog published by Leadnow:
Thankyou for your voice for justice, your voice and actions toward love