I was in the room in 1996 when the United Church of Canada took the decision to be the first church to apologize for its role in colonization and the destruction of indigenous culture. +
At that time there were still residential schools operating and the General Council room had residential school staff and students in the room. We debated the motion and the wording of the Apology for hours, into the night.

The whole “good intentions” argument came up.
But we struggled not to water down the language and to give something sincere and meaningful to the Moderator so he could go a meet with the Elders and ask for forgiveness. He went into a tipi and didn’t emerge for hours.
When he finally came out the Elders led by people like Alberta Billy, Murray Whetung, Stan MacKay and Art Solomon made their statement. They thanked us for the effort but didn’t accept the Apology.
I was 18 years old. Their refusal to accept the Apology was a stunning move. We had done a good thing but nowhere near enough to deserve forgiveness. The next day we were asked to put meaningful action behind our words.
As I was beginning university in the next month I promised to make my major Native Studies, and my work for the next 34 years as much as possible has been in this space l, chasing the promise of an Apology I was a part of but which has never been accepted.
We have work to do. All of us. The work of making a relationship on this continent moves in fits and starts but I am coming to the conclusion that Canada may not be capable of the work of tasting the far off promise of reconciliation and reciprocity.
In 34 years of work and life, so much has been done and so little has been accomplished to shift the status quo. If your take these days is “I’m sure glad I live in Canada” then you need to do everything you can to understand what this country is really like.
Many of us have indeed won the birth lottery but the winnings are the stolen inherentances of people who have been waiting for us to stop locking them up and stealing their lands. The promise of an amazing place built on reciprocity and relationship hangs in the balance.
Justice and dignity hangs in the balance.

Orange Shirt Day gives us a moment to reflect but it reminds me of the faces of those beautiful Elders in Sudbury who kindly refused empty words and declared that they would wait to see what we did.
Just know, as you wear and orange shirt today, that as Canadians we continue to let down those Elders and every indigenous child who was stripped in those schools and made to wear an orange dress instead of the clothes her mother made for her.
Reflect for a moment in our personal and collective complicity in this national shame. And let’s do something different about it. On Twitter follow indigenous voices, especially the ones that make you uncomfortable and do what they are asking you to do.
Thinking of the survivors today. And those to whom we can pass on a world of justice and reciprocity if only we can commit ourselves to it.

#OrangeShirtDay2020
You can follow @chriscorrigan.
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