April 8th

Confronting Residential School Denialism

People from across Mennonite Church Manitoba and beyond came together on March 10 at Charleswood Mennonite Church for an evening of learning about residential school denialism and its impact. The event was coordinated by the Mennonite Coalition for Indigenous Solidarity, a joint working group of MCM and Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba.

Jonathan Neufeld, pastor at Charleswood and Mennonite Church Canada’s Indigenous Relations Coordinator, opened the evening and invited Lorraine Daniels to speak. Lorraine is the Executive Director of the National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada in Portage la Prairie. She shared about the museum’s work and provided some context for the next part of the evening, a screening of an APTN investigative news piece called Dismantling Denialism.

Several guest speakers followed, including two survivors of residential schools—Vivian Ketchum and Gramma Shingoose—who shared their harrowing stories of abuse. Two University of Manitoba professors with expertise in Indigenous knowledge and residential schools—Niigaan Sinclair and Sean Carleton—also spoke. These four joined Kerry Saner-Harvey (Aberdeen), Coordinator for MCC Manitoba’s Indigenous Neighbours Program, for a panel discussion and open question time.

Niigaan Sinclair noted that the best way to combat misinformation is “not by giving denialists a microphone but by sharing the truth.” He relayed his experiences of doing this with residential school deniers themselves, highlighting the importance of “bringing generosity, kindness, and love to all relationships.”

Sean Carleton pointed to parallels with Holocaust denialism, noting that the necessary response is the same. “Our young people should know what has happened and learn from the past,” he said. “If we deny our history, we deny ourselves the chance to grow and reconcile with our past.”

Lorraine Daniels, reflecting on the evening, says, “We just need to continue sharing the truth and work towards reconciliation. Reconciliation is always in the works, and I really want to thank the churches for coming out and working closely with us to gain an understanding about the residential school era.”

We have passed ten years since the conclusion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and its 94 Calls to Action include important calls for churches which we still need to work at. Look for ways in your community to engage in reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples. To support financially the work of MCM and MC Canada in this work, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving.