Context
On Friday, September 27th, 2019, the Guelph Civic Museum hosted a launch for the opening of Into the Light: Eugenics and Education in Southern Ontario, an exhibition co-curated by Mona Stonefish, Peter Park, Dolleen Tisawii’ashii Manning, Evadne Kelly, Seika Boye, and Sky Stonefish. At this event, Mona Stonefish publicly shared her story.
Mona Stonefish has chosen to share her story in this module. Her story is presented in four portions. Each portion of her story begins an Activity. The following video shows the third portion of her story. She shares the final portion of her story at the start of the remaining module Activity. To view Mona Stonefish’s full story, click here.
Civilized courts that rule this vast land proudly define these acts as heinous crimes yet nothing has been done and it's 2021. Decades pass, we the gullible are taught to swallow the lies. Even our own mouths forsake us refusing to utter the truth, silencing our pain, hiding our shame under the covers. White hands have everything to gain. But I don't have any shame—it was not my fault, I was a child.
Tragic and chilling things happen when we are left alone with only white hands. They beat, rape, molest us. Still do. While hands have robbed us of our childhood, good health, when we enter adulthood with rigid bodies and closed minds, what is to become of us the Nishnaabe Onkwehon:we? How do we fulfill our dreams, become political leaders, athletes, teachers? Raped then, incarcerated now. We are left numb forever trapped within our own hell. ~ Mona Stonefish
