This morning, as encouraged by Native Women Running, I ran 2.15 miles to remember and honour the 215 Indigenous children found buried in a forgotten grave at a Kamloops Residential School.
I realized I own almost nothing orange (read about Orange Shirt Day here) but minutes into the run, orange found us.
One of the reasons I love running is the sense of community and the numerous causes that runners promote. I’ve run to raise money and awareness for many charities and causes, but a 20 minute run isn’t enough this time. Not even a 20 hour run would be enough.
Several years ago the Canadian government began the process of accepting responsibility for the generations of horrendous actions against Indigenous peoples. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission created reports and recommendations that you can find here. I haven’t looked at it in over a year but I plan to go through it again, especially the Calls to Action. If you feel called to do something, this is a good place to start.
If you’ve attended a meeting or event that opened with a land acknowledgement, you might want to know more. This map can help you learn about territories, languages and treaties.
If you’ve heard of the Highway of Tears, or felt called to do more to help the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, you can find the National Inquiry report here.
If you want to help by donating to organizations here are some to consider
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society
Find more Indigenous Charities to donate to here
Read. Learn. Acknowledge. Do better. I am a settler. This is stolen land.
The Tuesday Home 