Thread by @gindaanis

Hello again @supmikeclines

I'm sure you are very busy this weekend crafting an apology for the actions of some of your students. If I can make some suggestions

Please do not say that these students do not reflect the values or ideals of your school. The history of the Catholic Church in this area is quite clear from the Doctrine of Discovery through to today. The church allied with power and opened up the frontier for settlement.

The image of the student smirking at the Indigenous elder while surrounded by a gaping and cheering crowd is one that Indigenous people are quite familiar with. It is, in fact, Catholic and American history captured in a single image.

So when you are crafting that apology, keep that history in mind. And that the history has never been resolved or even ended. Those boys were raised in a milieu that clearly conveyed to them that this was ok.

You are responsible for that milieu. So are their parents.

Take this opportunity to reflect hard on the things that you teach and the way in which your history and current events are taught. Where are the Indigenous people in your lessons? In your libraries? In your classrooms?

The constant erasure of Indigenous presence in history, in science, in the arts combines with a belief in American exceptionalism and creates boys like this who grow up to be teachers and police officers and politicians who further erase and oppress Indigenous peoples.

You made this.

So when you release your statement and your apology, please keep that in mind. He is a reflection of you and your schools. He is a mirror. Him and the crowd of boys cheering and clapping and mocking. Look hard at that mirror. Do better.

There are a lot of resources available for you to help you do better. To learn how to stop erasing us. Find them.

And write a good apology.