Please join us to wear orange tomorrow to celebrate the Orange Shirt Day. This is to recognize the harm the residential school system did to children’s sense of self-esteem and wellbeing and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters.
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Norma Rose Point Elementary School Parents Advisory Council 
I am very disappointed that the PAC would send out a message like this that completely glosses over what orange shirt day is about.
It is a day to recognize Indian residential schools in Canada, what they were and the lasting effects that they have had and continue to have on generations of people.
Residential schools did a lot more than wreck havoc on individual children’s self-esteem and well-being. It tore families up, for generations. Children were abused, it created a cycle of abuse when these students became parents many abused their own children. It is the destruction of languages.
Residential schools were enacted to rid the land of Indigenous people in Canada — that is so Canada could just be a country and have the rule of the land in a place that had already been lived upon for thousands of years. Prime Minister and proponent of Residential schools John A. MacDonald said it best that Indian residential schools were “to kill the Indian in the child”.
Residential schools are not from a far away past – the last one closed in 1994.
Also, why shy away from naming who has been affected by this atrocity? Here in Vancouver we occupy Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish territory. They were forced to send their children were to Indian residential schools. OR More generally: Indigenous people. First Nations. Aboriginals. Name them! They were the kids sent/forced into these schools. No one else was forced into these schools.
Orange shirt day is NOT a day to recognize that everyone matters. It’s a day to recognize what residential schools were. To talk about it. To learn from it. A day to focus on the particular issues associated with Indian residential schools in Canada and their lasting affects on Indigenous peoples.
Orange shirt day is not a day to celebrate. It’s a day of recognition and awareness.
This email message completely dismisses what orange shirt day is about and erases the issues that it calls into the forefront by failing to even talk about it. To name it.
This is INCREDIBLY disappointing especially considering that the school has been named in honour of Norma Rose Point, a Musqueam elder.
We can do better than sending out insensitive uninformed messages like this one.
I would be happy to help in the future.
LikeLike
I appreciate your concerns about how PAC notified parents about Orange Shirt Day.
Let me start by saying that I am very proud of the advocacy and educational work the Joyce has done with all the kids around residential schools and Indigenous education this year. She is amazing.
I also believe that PAC has done an admirable job to explain to parents, through our October Newsletter, what the Orange Shirt day is about including providing links for further information.
I am sorry if you were offended in any way by our simple reminder to parents yesterday to have their children wear orange.
Please know that I have had many conversations with Joyce over the past several weeks about how PAC can communicate to the parents community about today and she has been incredibly supportive of what we are trying to do.
If you wish to speak further about this I know myself and Sharon, PAC Co chair are more than happy to meet with you in person to get your thoughts. Please feel free to email rosepointpac@gmail.com
Jody
LikeLike
Thank you for your comments Jody. When it comes to elementary school students, they are not aware of the political situation of what happened. We try our best to explain what we can. Parents and guardians should keep this in mind. Yes, the word celebration may not be the appropriate word but fact be known that we should celebrate that the residential schools no longer exist. We are moving forward and the schools of Vancouver are respecting Orange Shirt day, the story behind it and know that it is here to stay.
LikeLike
I would also like to invite parents/guardians that may know more about Orange Shirt Day (Residential School history) to come and join us next year and speak to the students about it. We can collaborate, speak to the whole school at one time or take a full day out of your time to come and speak to each class. It would really be appreciated.
LikeLike