Download the Press Release HERE
To the University of Lethbridge community,
On Thursday, May 27th, we learned about the discovery of the bodies of 215
Indigenous Children at the location of the former Residential School in
Kamloops British Columbia.
Like many, we are horrified, and heartbroken by the discovery. We are also
aware that this is not rare, and that the knowledge and oral history carried
down through the Tk’emlúps te Secwe’pemc people, acknowledged these missing
children.
These children were and still are loved and wanted by their families and
community, and we send our prayers and love to all who have experienced such
immense grief and pain. We also acknowledge and send our love to those who
survived not only this school, but all residential schools. As a society we
must work to make sure that these survivors have support and access to what
they need to heal.
The Residential Schools were created to destroy and eliminate Indigenous
people, who have lived on this continent for thousands of years. These deaths
were an intentional attempt at eradicating Indigenous people, Indigenous
language, Indigenous tradition, Indigenous stories, and families. The story of
how Canada was founded, is not the peaceful one that many of us have been
taught, and Reconciliation can only begin to happen when we begin to
de-colonize our ways of thinking and living. The University of Lethbridge sits
on Treaty 7, the Traditional and enduring Blackfoot homelands of the Siksika,
Kainai, Piikani, the Tsut’ina, lyaxe Nakoda Nations and Metis people. We
understand that as students within a westernized education system, that we
have, and continue to benefit from the colonization of Treaty 7. As a Students’
Union, we will continue to use the privilege we have, to raise the voices of
those on our campus whose voices have gone unheard for far too long.
The University of Lethbridge sits only sixty-two kilometers away from another
Residential School, whose history is likely as traumatic as the former school
in Kamloops. As we attend classes here, we also understand that many of our
classmates, are the descendants of survivors. We honor them, and continue to
stand with them against injustices. We understand the attempted genocide of the
Indigenous people is still happening and we must as a community stand together
against it. We know that this discovery has left many within our community in a
state of grief that we cannot even begin to understand. Please do not suffer
alone. You can contact mental health support on campus through
health.centre@uleth.ca, as well the National Indian Residential School Crisis
Line is available at 1 – 866 – 925 – 4419. Furthermore, you can find Hope for
Wellness 24/7 mental health resource for Indigenous people offered in a variety
of dialects at 1 – 855 – 242 – 3310 or at https://hopeforwellness.ca.
Yours in solidarity,
The ULSU Executive Council
Holly Kletke, President
Ryan Lindblad, Vice-President External
Amy Mendenhall, Vice-President Student Affairs
Rebecca Parkkari, Vice-President Academic
Mark Serebryansky, Vice-President Operations and Finance
