Back to school in more ways than one

Crescentwood

The memories of returning to school every September have many ramifications depending on who you are. Beginning in Kindergarten I played “school” and later as a career teacher’s pet, I counted the days from Aug. 1 until school began. In Grade 9, I decided I wanted to be a guidance counsellor so I could help those poor souls who did not love school.

September and the words residential school do not bring joy to Indigenous children and their families. Elder Murray Sinclair is remembered for saying, “education got us into this mess and education will get us out.”

As Canada prepares for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, often referred to as Orange Shirt Day, on Sept. 30, educating people about residential schools and honouring the children will take place at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. In keeping with the church’s commitment to social justice and providing opportunity and a safe space, this is a free public event: Walking the Path of Reconciliation, from Truth to Action with Sandra Bender from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Sandra will share her research on residential schools and will present ways we can all take action to help heal the rift from the damage of residential schools. She is a staunch Indigenous ally and strives to use her position of privilege to further understanding and reconciliation through outreach and education. Sandra is a proud member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and believes in bringing an intersectional lens to every aspect of her life. Past work has included Indigenous land claims advocacy, work with the unhoused communities in Winnipeg and Atlanta, human rights work with a focus on the Syrian civil uprising and genocide, and projects with the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Sandra holds several undergrad degrees and a master’s degree.

There are 94 Calls to action and Winnipeg Unitarian Universalist have signed the Indigenous Accord and begin each service with a land acknowledgement. Bannock donated by Community Helpers Unite will be available and those attending can leave with a copy of A Personal Pledge of Reconciliation handout.

I had the honour of meeting a survivor of not one but three residential schools. Jane McCallum’s story of her experience at the Assiniboia Indian Residential School on Academy Road in Crescentwood appears in Did You See Us? Reunion, Remembrance and Reclamation at an Urban Residential School. She is currently writing a memoir about her experience while at two other residential schools as a young child in Saskatchewan and as a teen at Guy Hill, The Pas. Her education took a positive turn at the University of Winnipeg where she felt welcomed and later at Carlton University where she earned a Master’s degree in Social Work. Jane’s story of her time in residential schools is but one of many that Sandra Bender will tell on Sept. 9.