Sam George: Residential School Survivor
My journey towards reconciliation has been greatly influenced by learning about residential school survivors and how their lives have been impacted by their experience. Sam George is a survivor of the residential school system after attending St. Paul’s Indian Residential School (Initiative & Seeber, 2021). His life story opened my eyes to all the trauma that students ensured while attending residential schools and how it continues to affect their lives. As Sam George reflected on his time spent at St. Paul’s Indian Residential School, he stated that “it wasn’t a school, it was a place to kill the Indian in us” and “when I came out, I did not want to be an Indian” (Initiative & Seeber, 2021). These words have a significant impact on my journey towards reconciliation because I believe in the importance of honoring all cultures, beliefs, and ideas. Sam George was forced to cease his Indigenous culture and traditions while attending a residential school which resulted in him turning “away from the Squamish way of life” (Initiative & Seeber, 2021).
John Jones: Residential School Survivor
John Jones is a residential school survivor that attended Alberni Residential School; during this time, he was verbally, physically, emotionally, and sexually abused which resulted in severe distress throughout his entire life (Chang & Chakrabarti, 2021). Jones’ story strengthened my understanding about the impact that residential schools had on Indigenous children as he taught me that the children who were placed in residential schools were robbed of a blissful childhood (Chang & Chakrabarti, 2021). Jones related this back to his own life as he “still remembers the searing loneliness” and “the pain that came from being separated from his family” (Chang & Chakrabarti, 2021). As an adult, Jones feels segregated from his culture which impacts his life immensely (Chang & Chakrabarti, 2021). This newfound knowledge that I have acquired from Jones’ time spent in the residential school system and the impact it has had on the rest of his life has indicated the importance of why reconciliation is crucial and why I need to do my part to help; Jones states that “reconciliation truly begins not with a statement, but with an action” (Chang & Chakrabarti, 2021).