What we do next matters: A call to action for truth, healing and reconciliation.

Over the weekend we celebrated my son’s eighth birthday, and as I looked into his sweet, kind, innocent eyes, so full of life, freedom, and potentiality, I was immediately met with waves of anger and grief.

Visions of sweet, kind, innocent children ripped out of their parents’ arms and sent to residential schools – to violently and inhumanly strip them of their Indigenous heritage – the thought of it is so heartbreaking that it’s difficult to comprehend and sit with.

THEY SAY THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.

And as I sit here learning more about the real truth of my country’s history, the real truth of the attempted cultural genocide at the hands of the Canadian government and the Roman Catholic Church - I am outraged at our shameful past.

But in the name of truth, I have to confess…

It’s easy to feel angry at the “institution” – to blame the government and the church for what “they” did.  To want them to be held accountable for their actions.

It’s harder to feel the emotions brewing inside of me beneath that.  The emotions of shame for not knowing the magnitude of this truth earlier; and overwhelm of wanting to make a difference but having absolutely no clue how or where to begin.

Where could I even start, as a white settler, to do my part to right that kind of wrong?

How could we possibly move forward as a unified nation to heal the atrocious harm of colonialism in which Canada was built?

But as I sift through the discomfort of these emotions, and get to my place of knowing, the only thing that feels right is to acknowledge, learn, lean in and listen to what Indigenous people have been expressing to us for centuries.

I am sorry it has taken me so long to truly hear your message.

I’m here now.  With you, standing alongside you, ready to pray with you, march with you, listen to you, hold space for you, learn from you, support you – to be an ally and friend to you in whatever way you need.

As I open my eyes and ears to the wisdom of the Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers who are trying to guide us all towards unity and love, they share a message of hope that this could be the beginning of a new way.

They are telling us that we can honour the children that died or were harmed in residential schools, by honouring the children left behind that are “lost and need to come back home”.

This includes the survivors, their communities, their families, their children, their children’s children – and anyone else these tragedies have impacted.

WHAT WE DO NEXT MATTERS

To all my non-Indigenous friends who feel the same call in their hearts, I invite you to learn alongside me.

Here is what I’m learning about what we can do next to show our solidarity and support to the survivors of residential schools and their families: 

1)    Listen and learn the truth -

• We can learn the truth about our country’s real history. Many members of our community are taking this free 12-week course from the University of Alberta over the summer to learn more about Indigenous culture and history.

• We can fill our bookshelves, children’s bookshelves, social media feeds and podcasts up with Indigenous voices, news and perspectives – The MRA has started a google doc called BIPOC Voices that we are sharing here with our entire community so that we can share and recommend BIPOC authors, influencers, leaders, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, etc. We invite you to add to this growing list right in the shared document so that we can learn together. 

• We can learn about the 94 calls to action that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put together 6 years ago. Indigenous people are telling us how we can move forward and heal as a unified nation, and only 10 of these 94 calls to action have been completed to date.  We can read about them, learn about them, get involved where we can use our voice and access to power to help move these forward.   

2)    Acknowledge the land we’re on whenever we can -

• Land acknowledgements are a sign of deep respect that we are guests on whatever land we’re occupying, whether we are living there or travelling for a visit.  Here is an interactive map of Indigenous territories so that we can learn about the practices, greetings and protocols of the nations’ indigenous to these lands.

• On social media, instead of tagging the city we’re in, we can tag the proper Indigenous territory we’re occupying or visiting. 

• Before we begin meetings, we can offer a sincere and authentic land acknowledgment. Here is a great resource of things to consider when crafting one.

3)    Put your money where your heart is -

• Whether we are purchasing from Indigenous makers or artists or hiring Indigenous people in our businesses – being more intentional and mindful of where our dollars go and who they support is important. 

• We can also commit to donating our dollars to Indigenous causes and organizations that are doing incredible work on truth, reconciliation and healing. The MRA is making a personal commitment to donating 10% of our profits to an Indigenous cause that will be helping a member of our team as she continues to heal and come back home to her Indigenous heritage and roots.

• As a business owner, we can use our businesses as an outlet for social change. For inspired ways on how to do this read this article written by Jessica Lax, Mind Rebel™ Coach and Community Builder for Societal Transformation.

4)    Nurture, tend to and care for the land that we are guests on -

We can’t change our history, but we can change our future.  There is so much wisdom and sacredness in Indigenous teachings and culture, so much we can learn about how to prioritize our lives and how to nurture and care for our lands. If the truth will set us free, let’s collectively anchor into the greatest truth of all, one that Indigenous people have known all along: that we are all guests here – and that it is our duty to honour that by taking exquisite care of the sacred land we all inhabit, not only for ourselves but for the future of generations to come. 

The MRA is a supportive and inclusive space dedicated to listening, learning, leaning into the discomfort and holding space for all of the beauty and messiness in between – feel free to join us in the private Mind Rebel Group on Facebook to learn alongside us and feel free to share resources, stories, experiences - all in the name of truth, love and oneness. 

Onwards, Rebels,
Taryn Watts
Founder of the Mind Rebel™ Academy