Anti-racism rally held at Round Lake on Good Friday
Josie Kipling, an aboriginal trustee with the Kenora Catholic District School Board, said Friday she'd been watching students at the new Pope John Paul II as they played together in the playground.
By Mike Aiken
Miner and News
Tuesday March 25, 2008
When they're young, she said, they don't know any different and they all play together. It's when they get older you start to see the difference, she said. As a result, Kipling encouraged parents to send a positive message to their children about racial tolerance.
She was just one of the participants in the local ceremonies Friday for the International Day Against Racial Discrimination, which started as a reaction to the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 in South Africa.
Those attending Friday's ceremonies at Treaty 3’s offices hoped to join with 8,000 drums around the globe, as they tried to regain harmony with Mother Earth.
While speakers were mostly First Nations, there were also those addressing the political situation in Tibet, as well as peace in the Middle East.
As he led a tour of the former Cecilia Jeffrey Residential School grounds, Elder Joe Morrison spoke about the deep roots for mistrust between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in the area.
However, he also acknowledged native people could be just as racist as white people, and he talked about the need for change, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
He was joined by Elder Nancy Morrison, who added her personal accounts from her days in a residential school, in order to illustrate how far she come in her healing journey.
In spite of the deep pain caused during those years, Morrison still encouraged her audience to work together towards a better future, where races could work together in prosperity.
There were also calls for support for Cecilia Begg, one of the six members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation near Big Trout Lake, who were jailed for ignoring a court injunction which allowed a mining company to start drilling on traditional aborginal territory. Supporters said Bay was being transferred to Kenora, and a rally was being planned for Saturday.
