i've wanted to post something about his for a while, but finding the words to articulate just how painful and impactful it all has been has been difficult.
i just want to remind everyone that these children in the unmarked graves across canada (and the us) are NOT just our ancestors. they are our grandparents, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, our brothers and sisters and our cousins. my grandfather's siblings attended the kamloops residential school and he never heard from them or saw them again. his mother's pain and trauma from attending that school has affected my immediate family. these schools aren't before our time. the gordon indian residential school was in operation when i was in elementary school. this is not old news. and only now are people talking about it and acknowledging what happened to these children. only now they are listening to first hand stories of immense pain and trauma. canada was literally built on the backs of native children.
... and a small voice whispers, "they found us." 🧡🧡🧡
