TORONTO — Dolores (McLeod) Naponse hopes her presence at a Toronto Blue Jays game will spark some important conversation.
Naponse, from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek near Sudbury, Ontario, threw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday night before the Blue Jays hosted the Boston Red Sox. The 72-year-old residential school survivor was part of pregame ceremonies as the MLB team commemorated National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
“It’s very important for everyone to know what happened to all of us residential school survivors, not just the survivors, but also the parents of young children who didn’t survive,” Naponse said, shortly after going out into the field for the first time. . at Rogers Center with her daughter and two grandchildren. “I’m glad to be here to do this for all of us.”
National Truth and Reconciliation Day honors the 4,000-6,000 indigenous children estimated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to have died while attending state and church-funded residential schools.
Canada’s residential school system separated approximately 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children from their families. The last school closed in 1997. Many children were sexually, physically or psychologically abused in the system designed to take the “Indian” out of the child.
The Blue Jays had several awards and recognitions before and during the game to honor National Truth and Reconciliation Day, also known as Orange Shirt Day.
The Canadian anthem was performed in Blackfoot, English and French by Tsuaki Marule, a professor at Red Crow Community College from the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta. A moment of silence was also observed at the Rogers Center.
The survivors’ flag was prominently displayed throughout the stadium to honor the survivors and all the lives affected by the residential school system.
“I think this organization does an amazing job of recognizing things that need to be recognized,” Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider said. “We are happy to be a part of this.”
Jeffrey and Keewehtn Cheechoo, Naponse’s grandsons, play in Jays Care’s Indian Rookie League programs. Other survivors of the residential school system and their families were in the stands Friday, along with 250 kids from The Jays Care Foundation’s Indian Rookie League programming.
Naponse wore a traditional Ojibway skirt that featured Blue Jays logo material, with orange ribbons, as well as the outline of an orange Every Child Matters T-shirt. She said it was very special to share the leadoff pitch with her family (14 relatives joined her at the ballpark) even though she was nervous about getting her pitch at the plate.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime to do something I never expected to do,” said Naponse, who successfully threw the pitch to Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno. “I never even expected to be in a Blue Jays game at my age because we’re slowing down and it’s hard to move.
“This is a good chance”.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 30, 2022.