SHUBENACADIE: More than 100 people gathered at the former Shubenacadie Residential School site for a march in honour of the Indian Residential School survivors in Shubenacadie.
The Freedom Day March was held on June 21, recognized as the National Indigenous Peoples Day.
It saw the crowd of people, including several survivors of the school and their family members and supporters, walk about a kilometre from the school’s former site, now a business, to the old CN station site, adjacent to the XTR Gas Station on Hwy 2 in Shubenacadie.
The march had been something that Tara Lewis’ dad, Elmer, wanted to do, tracing the steps of the children who would be released from the residential school during the summer months.
Tara, one of the day’s organizers, looked around at the throng of people either in the hot June sun or under canopies, where many elders were, trying to stay cool and out of the warmth of the sun. She was amazed at what she saw.
“I’m speechless right now and in awe,” said Tara. “It’s great to see that his vision came true, for him and for all the other Shubenacadie residential school survivors.”
The Shubenacadie residential school, located on Indian School Road near the river, was in operation for almost 40 years, running from 1929 to 1967. It was demolished in 1986.
Survivors gave emotional speeches to the crowd which added to the immense sadness and shock by some of what they had gone through.
Some in attendance only recently began learning about the residential schools despite having attended a nearby high school but was not taught nearly anything about the nearby residential school.
Tara’s dad, Elmer, was one of the speakers. Elmer spoke of how some of the kids never got to return home between school years. Among those kids who didn’t was himself.
Another survivor spoke of how they managed to get out of the residential school after being taken to hospital in Truro.
The survivor said his grandfather carried him out of the hospital. The nurses who were there turned their backs, he told the crowd, thus when the police called the next day checking on his status, the nurses acted oblivious and said they didn’t know where he was.
Traffic on Hwy 215 and Hwy 2 were stopped by East Hants RCMP members as the marchers made their way to the old CN station site.
The march also had several members of the provincial NDP on hand showing their solidarity with the survivors, including Hants East NDP candidate Abby Cameron.
Tara hopes the march will become an annual event to honour all those who attended residential schools across Canada.
