RED BROTHER, WHITE BROTHER
A TIME FOR ATONEMENT
by
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Yet in spite of knowing that the social circumstances of children can determine their present and future health, knowing that the happiness and contentment and security of the mother has a huge effect on determining the future emotional and physical well-being of the child, knowing that we have a limited time and opportunity to ensure that young children are able to develop to the fullest extent, we continue to fail many of our children. Nowhere is this more visible than in the world of Child Welfare which deals with children who are most likely to have experienced such losses; children who are most likely to have lacked the fundamental security and firm foundations that all of us depend upon to live rich and fruitful lives. Nowhere is this more likely to happen than with children whose basic needs for security, love, food, attention, and attachment have not been met. Nowhere is this more likely to occur with than with children who live with a series of unrelated caregivers, whose love and emotional attachment may be peripheral at best. Nowhere is this more likely to occur than for Aboriginal children who in addition to the burden that they carry as a result of their early backgrounds, have to carry the burden of losing their identity, their sense of self, and their connection to family, community and culture. The evidence seems clear that for too many of these children, life becomes a revolving door of renewed poverty, homelessness, addiction, institutional life in jails and mental health settings. This we know to be true.
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About the Book
Aboriginal families and communities are losing their children to child welfare systems at an alarming rate. Such children have very poor futures to look forward to; rejection, abuse and belonging to nowhere are too often the fate of children in care. Academic failure, poor self-esteem and loss of identity accompany them, often right into life on the streets, experiencing lateral violence, homelessness, crime and ultimately jail, where 70 % of inmates are former children in care. This tragedy compounds over time; former children in care grow up to become parents, too often losing their own children to the child welfare system, and the cyde perpetuates itself. Red Brother, White Brother proposes that we can break this cycle, if we are willing to learn from the experiences of Aboriginal families, children, community members and those who work with them
An ancient Hopi prophesy predicted that after five hundred years of contact, the white brothers would return from their ventures to share their technology and material progress. The red brothers, in return, would remind them of their sacred connection along with the values and responsibilities that this implies. Red Brother, White Brother proposes a process of reconciliation in our relationship, to end the loss of children and the destruction of families. This exploration reflects the pain and pathos of that relationship. While posing some challenging questions to be considered on the path to atonement.
About the Author
Jean Lafrance is currently an Associate Professor with the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. He has earned a doctoral degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Jean has nearly half a century of experience in the field of child welfare and has worked with Aboriginal people for much of that time. His mission in life is to create greater understanding and compassion for those who are served by and work in the field of child welfare. Jean and his wife Marie-Anna have three married daughters, seven grandchildren and one great grandson. They live in Edmonton, Alberta.