Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Is there anything more devastating to a parent than the loss of a child? Imagine the anguish of an entire people over the loss of their children: no laughter in the streets or gleeful calling. No excitement about learning something new.
What of the children? Indigenous children have been snatched from the arms of their parents and scattered in a new territory that is foreign to them. Some were never permitted to return home, while others were unable to assimilate into the cultures in which they were thrown.
During this Advent season of hope and expectation, we understand that some hopes will never be realized. We commit to learning about Indigenous child welfare and how we can begin to heal these wounds.
-Meditation by Indigenous Solidarity Collective Member Mary Ann Reed.
The 2022 Advent Calendar is a project of CTA's Indigenous Solidarity Collective, a working group that addresses the Catholic Church's historical and current role in colonialization. To support more projects from working groups like this one, please consider making a contribution!
Call To Action's 2022 Advent Calendar, planned and written by the Indigenous Solidarity Collective, provides 27 days of prayer and study to lead into action and solidarity with Indigenous communities. Here is today's meditation.
Call to Action: 4
Child Welfare
4. “We call upon the federal government to enact Aboriginal child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases and includes principles that:
i. Affirm the right of Aboriginal governments to establish and maintain their own child-welfare agencies.
ii. Require all child-welfare agencies and courts to take the residential school legacy into account in their decision-making.
iii. Establish, as an important priority, a requirement that placements of Aboriginal children into temporary and permanent care be culturally appropriate.”
November 30th, 2022
Organizations to know and follow
Urban Native Youth Association, a Canadian organization, provides educational programs and health and housing services for Indigenous youth.
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society provides education initiatives, public policy campaigns, and quality resources to support First Nations youth and their families.
Center for Native American Youth is an advocacy and research group that strives to improve the health, safety, and overall well-being of Native American youth.
The watercolor paintings featured on this calendar were created by Duane Yazzie, an artist of Hopi and Navajo ancestry. Yazzie creates artwork that reflects his Indigenous heritage and his childhood spent in the Southwest.
