It’s an emotional time in Canada after the latest discoveries at former residential school sites and if you’re wondering what you can do to help . . . all you have to do Wednesday is listen to 94.1 myFM. For Ray John, Indigenous cultural teacher for the London District Catholic School Board, the mixed emotions felt during Indigenous History Month has had a unifying effect in his Oneida community and communities elsewhere.
John has been awarded for working “tirelessly in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation,” and he stresses only through engaging in tough conversations will Canadians be able to educate themselves on Indigenous culture and the tyranny of residential schools.
This month has been an opportunity for Canadians to listen to, elevate and amplify Indigenous voices.
However the conversation needs to continue, stresses John, it is not just a movement in the short term.
All that time spent listening to the stories of his father and grandfather is now paying off says John.
And members of all Indigenous communities need to sit down and talk with their children on how the tragic history of the residential schools needs to see the light of day.
There are many more issues facing Indigenous communities, reminds John. The question that needs answering is how did a Third World country arrive right in the backyard of what they say is the greatest country in the world.
John stresses the significance of the slogan Every Child Matters. He reminds, “When we look at that, we’re looking at human rights across the entire country.”
