While many of us finished digging out from the weekend storm yesterday, demonstrators protested at a Toronto church to raise awareness about the aboriginal children that they say disappeared from Canada's residential school system between 1840 and 1940. Eventually they went inside and hung a banner as part of the protest.
The church was Metropolitan United Church, a reminder that our UCC has a sad history of abuse in native schools, although I must note that there were many dedicated teachers and administrators in that system. The protesters have demanded that the federal government and leaders of several churches reveal the locations of unmarked graves where tens of thousands of children were buried near residential schools. The reality is that no one is sure how many children died at the schools.
What is indisputable is that the residential schools are a blight on our history and the United Church has acknowledged the injustices of the school system and paid millions to those who were wronged. We have also established a healing fund to help aboriginal groups find ways back toward dignity and hope.
The church was Metropolitan United Church, a reminder that our UCC has a sad history of abuse in native schools, although I must note that there were many dedicated teachers and administrators in that system. The protesters have demanded that the federal government and leaders of several churches reveal the locations of unmarked graves where tens of thousands of children were buried near residential schools. The reality is that no one is sure how many children died at the schools.
What is indisputable is that the residential schools are a blight on our history and the United Church has acknowledged the injustices of the school system and paid millions to those who were wronged. We have also established a healing fund to help aboriginal groups find ways back toward dignity and hope.
During March there will a nation-wide tour of aboriginal and church leaders as part of the initiative called Remembering the Children. http://www.rememberingthechildren.ca/ It will be a precursor to a Truth and Reconciliation commission to further address the wrongs of the past.
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