Parliamentary Dedication of Residential Schools Window

November 27, 2012
by Karen Baker-Anderson

I don’t know how to put into words how I felt as I watched the three of them standing before our National Aboriginal leaders. They stood tall and used the gift of their voices and words to impact the people around them. I was overwhelmed with pride. Our kinders also performed. I thought back to just over 6 years ago when we started this agency with the goal of ensuring that we would instill a sense of pride in our children so that would grow up proud of their culture. Such a polar idea to what residential school was and here I stood in the Parliament buildings watching our children and youth share their culture on such a momentous day. It was a moment of gratitude that will stay with me but needs to be shared with our staff, board and community and funders and partners because together we are encircling our next generation and the future looks bright.
To my Aboriginal friends and family just know that I know how incredibly blessed and honoured I was to be witness to that day. I thank you for trusting me to do the work I do in your community with your children and youth. There is a clip of the event below which finishes with the girls performing.

To find out more about this House of Commons event, click here for a CBC website posting.