by Hillary Jean-Bart
Here we have an interview between Shelagh Rogers, a notable CBC reporter and life-long honorary witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Monique Gray Smith, a notable Cree, Lakota, and Scottish author whose primary message is that “love is medicine.” The two decided to conduct this interview in anticipation of Orange Shirt Day on September 30th.
What does Truth and Reconciliation mean to the Native American community in the year 2021? As Orange Shirt Day approaches, members of the community pose these questions in search of answers after years of silence. This day of remembrance was established in 2014 in order to recognize the countless children who fell victim to the oppressive U.S education system after being taken and sent to boarding schools.
The history behind events like Orange Shirt Day is very painful to recall every year, but members of the community feel it is necessary to bring about change, which is why Ms.Rogers would like to spread awareness for this issue.
She recalls the courage and strength of Phyllis Webstad, the original creator of Orange Shirt Day, and her fight to keep the spirits of the missing and abused children alive. During her first day as a student at St. Joseph’s Mission School, the orange shirt her grandmother brought her to wear on her first day was ripped away from her in exchange for the school uniform. After reconciling the trauma associated with her time at the school, she asked for others to wear orange shirts in remembrance of the students who could no longer be with us. Notably, both Shelagh and Monique were wearing orange shirts during their interview to reclaim power over the color.
The ripple effects that were felt from the removal of Native children need to be discussed on an intimate and national level. Generations of Native families were lied to about where their children were being taken and what would eventually become of them. However, to the U.S government and local leaders, the removal was cold, calculated, and purposefully systemic as it ripped apart families all across the nation.
The expected effects stemming from such traumatic events are visible in the generations of Native Families that are alive today. Family bonds were severed in the name of white supremacy and the generations that are still alive today must cope with that trauma. But overall, Monique stresses that impacts on the community are deeper than that. It was an attack on inter-generational love, love for the community, and love for individual identities. Especially the love for the language, which is extremely valuable to Native communities, as countless children lost their mother tongues within the boarding schools.
But now leaders like Monique are looking to recon the future with the pains of the past and push forward with positivity. She is grateful for the self-determination of the new generation and how issues like these will no longer be swept under the rug. In her eyes, September 30th is not just a day of remembrance but a day of developing continued empathy and how to move forward in the future. On each day, not just Orange Shirt day, we must remember the lives and stories of the affected native children and actively work towards helping build a better future for Native communities across the U.S.
Monique’s last words before closing the interview hold a lot of weight. She is grateful to the survivors and younger generation for sharing their stories of the community for others to hear and digest. She has much gratitude to honorary witnesses such as Shelagh for spreading awareness and wants to move forward on this country’s journey to reconciliation and acceptance of native narratives.
She also had the chance to read her book When We are Kind which talks about ways in which we can love ourselves and others by emphasizing the importance of kindness.
Visit her website https://www.moniquegraysmith.com/ to learn more about this wonderful author and what she has set for the future.
Sources
Indigenous children’s writer Monique Gray Smith & TRC Honorary Witness/CBC Journalist Shelagh Rogers