I happened to come across an article after doing my poetry presentation on "the second time" that highlighted 4 ways that residential schools continue to impact our Indigenous population. Some of the statistics that were mentioned were shocking and horrifying, such as First Nations, Metis and Inuit die by suicide at a rate twice as high as non-Indigenous people and 25% of Indigenous people live in poverty. The 4 points that the article mentions include: 1. Encouraged the cycle of poverty 2. Put Indigenous culture, traditions, and langauges at risk of disapearing 3. Impacted mental health 4. Created systematic barriers to health. What these points prove is that the impacts of residential schools are still being felt today and that despite organizations like the TRC, which are trying to fight for Indigenous rights and peace, there is still a lot of work left to do. This article also reminded me of the mental health struggles, and trauma that Fairchild's mother faced, as she was unable to talk about her residential school experience with her daughter.

Poems such as i am graffiti, are also expressing this message through the lines, "except i am graffiti. and mistakes were made." once again stating that our past actiions cannot be completely erased, but we can instead learn from our wrongdoings. Furthermore, I feel that it is crucial that we think about the present and creating a better future for Indigenous people, rather than choosing to always look at our past atrocities. When we are able to implement programs and supports that help with social issues such as mental health and poverty, then we are choosing to act on a problem, as opposed to simply talking about one and remaining stagnant. Thus, I feel that the only way in which we can ecourage gradual change to occur is by taking immediate action and fighting for Indigenous people's basic rights that have been stripped away by our government. If we fail to do this then "mistakes will be made" and "three white X's" will be present signifying the end of our attempts at reconciliation.

Works Cited:
El Gharib, Sarah. "4 Ways Residential Schools Continue to Impact Canada's Indigenous People." Global Citizen, 9 Aug. 2022, https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/4-impacts-residential-schools-indigenous-people/
Simpson, Leanne Betasamosake. "i am graffiti." [Class Handout]