Progress requires an acknowledgement of error and an effort toward reconciliation. A long-standing tragedy amongst the Indigenous population in Canada, that still affects its survivors today, was the implementation of Indian Residential Schools in Canada.
The History
Between the years 1831 and 1998, the Canadian government launched assimilation efforts toward indigenous peoples in an effort to create a more uniform Canadian society, by ultimately eliminating any culture that seemed foreign or unfamiliar. Their method: separating approximately 150,000 indigenous children from their families and mandating them into boarding schools. These schools promoted Christian discourse and tried to reshape the worldview of indigenous peoples in order to remove native culture at its roots. The ideology and foundation of the idea in itself crosses a line of morality, but the outcome makes the situation even more grisly.
The conditions at these residential schools were extremely poor. Not only were children piled into tight quarters, but there was very limited and under-equipped medical care – resulting in the deaths of thousands of children from disease. To make the matter even worse, the Canadian government has now admitted that both physical and sexual abuse were very common in these schools. A truly disturbing, but darkly accurate depiction of these schools shows in the hundreds of children’s remains discovered in June, 2021 in unmarked graves on several properties of these schools.
LU X 4 the Future Foundation
We’re not going to sit here and act like humanity is perfect, but instances like this cannot be left in the shadows, especially since there are still living and breathing victims who are suffering from the aftermath of this atrocity. Our goal is to bring light to this tragedy that directly targeted the Indigenous community, and to help contribute to the reparations due for this deliberate attack on their culture and history.
In partnering with the 4 the Future Foundation, we at Lacrosse Unlimited have created the #EVERYCHILDMATTERS custom tee to honor and remember those lives lost, as well as those survivors still dealing with the trauma caused by these residential schools. With each sale of our #EVERYCHILDMATTERS tee, All proceeds will be donated to the foundation in an effort to bring awareness to the cause as well as helping to promote health and wellness, support of education, embracing the Native American history and traditions, giving back to the community, and honoring the natural world. Now is the time to listen to the stories of survivors and their families and learn from them, so that these mistakes are not repeated. It is a time for conversations about understanding the survivors' truths and beginning the journey toward reconciliation. Now is the time for an exploration of opportunities to do better for generations of children to come. Let’s do what we can for the very ancestors of the game we love and have been so lucky to become a part of. Do your part and get your tee today at lacrosseunlimited.com!
