TORONTO — Dolores (McLeod) Naponse hopes her presence at a Toronto Blue Jays game will spark important conversations.
Naponse from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek near Sudbury Ont. threw the ceremonial first pitch Friday night before the Blue Jays hosted the Boston Red Sox. The 72-year-old boarding school survivor was part of the pregame ceremonies as the MLB team commemorated National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“It’s so important that everyone knows what happened to us boarding school survivors, not just the survivors but also the parents of young children who didn’t survive,” Naponse said shortly after she first stepped onto the field at Rogers Center with her daughter and two grandchildren. “I’m glad to be here and doing this for all of us.”
National Truth and Reconciliation Day honors the 4,000 to 6,000 Indigenous children who the Truth and Reconciliation Commission estimates have died while attending state and church-funded boarding schools.
Canada’s boarding school system has removed around 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, which aimed to bring out the “Native American” in the child.
The Blue Jays had several pre- and in-game acknowledgments and recognitions to honor the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, 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 of the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta. A minute’s silence was also observed at the Rogers Centre.
The survivor flag was prominently displayed throughout the stadium to honor the survivors and all lives affected by the school system.
“I think this organization is doing an incredible job of recognizing things that need to be recognized,” said John Schneider, Blue Jays interim manager. “We are happy to be a part of it.”
Jeffrey and Keewehtn Cheechoo, Naponse’s grandsons, play in Jay’s Care Indigenous Rookie League programs. Other boarding school system survivors and their families were in the stands Friday, along with 250 children from the Jays Care Foundation Indigenous Rookie League program.
Naponse wore a traditional Ojibway skirt with Blue Jays logo material on it, orange ribbons and an outline of an orange Every Child Matters shirt. She said there was something very special about sharing the opening pitch with her family – 14 relatives joined her at the stadium – although she was nervous about getting her throw over home plate.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something I never expected,” said Naponse, who successfully handed the pitch to Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno. “I never expected to even be at a Blue Jays game at my age because we’re slowing down and it’s difficult to get around.
“This is a good opportunity.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 30, 2022.