Unmarked Graves of BIPOC Children

Why should we care? This elaborate grave site was nothing like the unmarked graves of BIPOC Children. The New York Times article “Hundreds More Unmarked Graves found at former Residential School in Canada” June 25, 2021

The article quoted Chief Cameron saying, “You can see with your plain eyes the indent of the ground where these bodies are to be found... These children are sitting there waiting to be found”.

No rise to protest or marches for the lives of over 751 people, mainly Indigenous children found in the province of Saskatchewan, an Indigenous school for Indigenous students in British Columbia. The largest uncovered remains of 215 children found in unmarked graves on the grounds of another former church-run school for Indigenous students First Nation People.

The ache twisted in my chest as I thought of the children and the mothers, not knowing the resting place of their flesh and blood. The trauma of not being able to see, hug your child, the child you love or its whereabouts seemed unmanageable. To make some sense or relieve my emotional visceral response and obtain an alternative perspective. I mentioned the article I read in a conversation with a young woman. I thought that I would find some empathy and compassion. I kept waiting to hear about the marches for these BIPOC children so far none. One of the renown social conscious of the world Ghani famous quote below

Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Humans capable and responsible for higher levels of thought, emotion, and spirituality at one time would have demonstrated outrage and demanded an investigation to obtain an explanation. Is empathy dead, no response at all to the knowledge of children anywhere in any form is like turning a deaf ear implying and condoning cruelty everywhere.

Young people are the hope, vision for change and reform. I spoke with one woman of color. Her response sent a chill through my body. I was quiet in disbelief. “That is over in Canada. We have our own problems in the United States. She went on”. What about the crime against shooting BIPOC people in the street like dogs?

What if the children in these unmarked graves were our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews? Could indifference be a raging cancer of the inability only to respond to humans who are not different from ourselves? The lives of vulnerable children dismissed so simply that our position strengthened the complicity of atrocities that are void of civility or humanity. Again, history repeats itself. The profit of the land stolen from these people was the motivation of such cruelty. Following the greed and profit value reinforces the lack of value given to human life.

Empathy and the ability to put oneself in the experience of another human being is crucial in the manifestation of civility, human rights, compassion, and justice. Is empathy within humanity dead? The Bible author at Philippians 4:2 says ``look out for the interest of others”. What happened? What is continuing to happen? The signs and symptoms of a new cancer of mine first and only are spreading fast. This cancer jeopardizes the life of all humans. My next blog post will focus on social and psychological research that may shed light on this rise of indifference related to life.