‘INSIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS B2 JUST A THOUGHT EY BISHOP Doing is believing I WAS VERY sad on Sept. 11, 2002 for what lost loved ones, for those who gave their lives trying to help and for all those who perished or were hurt in the retaliation attacks. But the real trigger for my grief had little to do with to do with a mistake that J made. ] read the news, lous disregard for other human beings; the Pig Farm updates, the conviction of a man in 10-year-old girl, the continuing search for what the Lower Mainland police are calling “a cowardly creep” (1 could think of stronger them, even though they weren’t resisting, be- fore fleeing with a purse and wallet. Our propensity for evil, to hurt out of self- type of behaviour so long as it fulfils some- thing we, desire... even if it infringes on some- their fife, baffles me, I wish that the articles I referred to were bi- the planet, not ones that typify our North American experience. Sadly, they’re just a minute glance at the horrible things that yond our control, pestilence, flood, famine.., but due to humans, to people who for some reason feel exempt from what most of us consider basic morality. each other right here, “at home,” the violence that other countries may want to accost us with is hardly even surprising, We can hardly muster up genuine concern for our neighbours, for people we know.I think of a case, still being investigated, about a young child’s death, People are quick to point fingers and to pronounce guilt before facts are known, to say snidely, “I heard that baby crying all cried itself to sleep.” Yeah? So what? Babies cry. why didn’t all the people, supposedly so concerned, arm themselves with muffins and coffee and go over and introduce themselves, offer some help instead of damning silence? The awful acts I see and hear esbout are made more poignant because for every ounce of initiative to hurt and damage, humans match with an ability to heal, to sacrifice, to passionately care, even to the point of piving their lives, for causes and people they care about, What makes people act the way they do? What drives our choices? When I was younger I believed that class structure, society's pressures, etc. were a for- mative stew that created pecple who. acted as they do. “Happy, cushy, wealthy en- vironments created moral, kind, socially con- scious individuals,” and “Harsh, poverty stricken or abusive environments birthed like individuals.” Neither is true. People, regardless of back- grounds, hideous or wonderful pasts, choose their behaviour based on something else, The closest I can express it is to say, “we base our behaviour on our personal convic- tions.” Interestingly, our genuine convictions are often far different than the convictions we would say we hold. Most of us would say that we aren't racist, that we aren’t sexist, that we don’t believe in using violence to solve problems, that we aren’t materialistic, that we aren’t hedonistic, Yet “most of us” make up the country we live in and society’s problems show that, as a whole, we are exacily what we say we aren’t. The powers that be are concerned with sol- goal. However, they seem to be missing the ‘point that we are not the “righteous” countries. We have the same stench of pride, of racism, of sexism, fanaticism as other countries... the same “us and them”. mentality, start to look at ourselves individually, until J start to put my attitudes and values under a ‘microscope and determine that / want to live wards peace will be made. Is there hope? I believe, yes. Looking back through history we can see that people, even ‘those acting solely at first, can make profound changes for the good, But we need to do more first step. Looking for the good and pursuing it, that is the journey’s step, + at first seemed obvious reasons; grief, empathy - and horror for the victims, for the people who- the atrocity of the twin tours, attack and more names) who knocked on the door of an extre- : mely elderly couple’s home and brutally beat interest, to rationalize and justify almost any one else’s emotional or physical health, even Considering the things. that people do to: day and night” and “I could tell that baby: This dichotomy keeps me up at night. ving the problems of terrorism. An admirable’ ‘by a different standard, no real progress to- ’ than look back, We need to act. Looking at the. evil that flourishes and recognizing it, is the - What did I read? Hideous accounts of cal- | the lower mainland for abusing and killing a - zarre examples, pulled from remote corners of | happen daily. Atrocities due not to forces be- - towards countries and individuals. Until we - TERRACE STANDARD. Walking strong | Survivor Martha Joseph laces up for another trek in pursuit of victory By JENNIFER LANG A JOURNEY OF 724 kms begins with a single step - just ask Ter- tace’s Martha Joseph. Last fall the residential school survivor walked from Prince Ru- pert to Prince George in an effort lo raise money and awareness about her attempt to seek justice. She wore through five pairs of running shoes and earned a nasty succession of blisters as she strode along Highway 16. The Gitxsan woman then walked from Nanaimo to the scene of so many painful memer- ies - the town of Port Alberai, home of the United Church-run Alberni Indian Residential School. Although she's a diabetic who suffers from more than one form of arthritis, Joseph, now aged 64, is ready to do it all over again, On Oct, 3, she'll set out by foot again, retracing her’2001 walk-a- thon in the name of victory. She'll walk with the knowledge that she'll finally be getting her day in court, Joseph, the lone female plain- tiff in a class action lawsuit laun- ched in 1995 by former students of the Alberni Indian Residential School, wants to sue the United Church and the federal govern- ment. summer because it was deemed too old to proceed, a decision that left her devastated. “It hurt me so much it felt like I had a big, black hole in my heart, with nothing in there. It was just gradually filling up with hate. JOHN REISCHMAN and the Jaybirds perform Friday at tha R.E.M. Lee. Concert season offers - Her case was thrown out last T had no feelings,” she says. “You fee] like the walking dead.” That anger began to dissolve with each step she took during her walk-a-thon last fall, a journey that helped her come to terms with the past - in part because of all the people she met along the way who let her know she wasn't alone in her pain. “I realized that if [ gave up, how many more people would give up? How many people suffer- ing out there just don’t have the gumption to go ahend?” She knows she’s on the right track — so many people have Shared their own stories with her since her walk-a-thon. “I know what I am doing is helping,” But she also realizes she can't put her own painful memories to rest unless she gets a chance to hold those responsible to account. “TL want them to apologize to me for the whole world to see the The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 25, 2002 - B] MARTHA JOSEPH is walking again along Hwy 16 starting next SECTION B JENNIFER LANG 638-7283 month in support of her residential school abuse lawsuit. had other siblings, Her father is an almost non-ex- istent memory. “The only thing I remember about my dad is him walking in the door with a brown bag of gro- ceries.” These days, she’s comforted by the fact that the past year has helped bring her family closer to- “Il want them to apologize to me for the whole world to see the pain and suffering they put us through,” pain and suffering they put us through.” _ Joseph was just five years old when she was sent to Port Alberni in 1943, She says she suffered years of sexual abuse from the principal and vice principal of the school until she left in 1956. Apart from a younger sister, Jo- seph grew up never knowing she r gether, ae: With just one week'to go be- fore she starts what she’s calling her victory journey, Joseph is is- suing an urgent plea for financial assistance and volunteer support. She needs walking shoes, pre- ferably something light. She wears - a size eight. Plus, she needs volunteer dri- vers to escort her from town to town. She’s also asking villages along the way to host community dinners and fundraisers to come to her assistance, If you'd like to help out, call Steve Wright at 842-0284. Or fax the northwest regional office of the provincial residential school survivors society at 615-4799, She leaves Prince Rupert Oct. 3 and is expected to arrive at Kit- sumkalum Oct. 7 and leave the Terrace area the next day. She hopes to reach her final destina- tion, Prince George, on Oct. 30. Her 12-day court date is set for Vancouver in January. She will be: represented by a legal. team headed up. by. Gitxsan, lawyer Peter Grant. She didn’t raise a lot of money last year but she did a lot of heal- ing, and hopes that process can continue, “I know I’ve hit my goal when I can say, ‘T forgive’.” ——— Around Town A river'runs through it a little bit of everything By JENNIFER LANG THE TERRACE Concert Society's 2002- 03 season starts off with a bluegrass band and ends with a ballet, promising to squeeze in a litile something for everyone in between. The season begins Friday with a per- formance by John Reischman and the Jaybirds, a West Coast-based bluegrass quintet, and ends March 10 with the re- © turn of Ballet Jérgen, a Canadian ensem- ble that will perform Romeo and Juliet, “We have been working on these guys for five years,” says Terrace Concert Society president Karen Birkedal, adding Ballet Jérgen’s version of the Nutcracker ’ wowed Terrace audiences, The society has a record of. bringing some of Canada’s most promising new acts to Terrace, long before they hit the big time. Nuevo flamenca guitarist Oscar Lopez, an electrifying performer who. returns to . Terrace Nov..30, has won a Juno award since his first visit here, a reality that’s doubled the price to. bring him back. . “You'll see these people now-and the next time you see them, they'll be on TY,” Birkedal says. Some have already been on TV, Take cellist Denise Djokic, who brings a fresh ' face — and a very old instrument, a 17th century Stradavarius - to the R.E.M, Lee Oct. 12, She performed a cello solo with rock group Train at the Grammy Awards, Birkedal says. Sons of Maxwell, a pop-folk group fea- turing brothers Don and Dave Caroll, are also award winners. The band, playing Jan. 24, won best roots/traditional group at the 2002 East Coast Music Awards, They probably don’t create award ca- tegories for performers like Todd Butler. The satirical singer-songwriter Todd But- ler, slated for Feb. 8, may be familiar to CBC listeners, Birkedal says. “He's insane! He. has this great ability to make songs that are social commen- tary but area musically catchy and also funny,” she says, “We need some laugh- ter in this town,” 7 7: ~All performances take. place al: the. -R.E.M. Lee Theatre. Show time is 8 p.m, - " but patrons are advised to aim for 7:30, CELEBRATE B.C, Rivers Day tomorrow by taking in a slide show featuring the rivers of the province, Dave Gordon, a local biologist and photographer, will provide commentary and information on each of the rivers showcased in his presentation. The event takes place at the Canadian Canoe Exhibit on Highway 16 across from Irly Bird. It kicks off a weekend of festivities at the exhibit, which ends its summer run Sunday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. . On Sept. 27-29, the exhibit will feature a range of special activities, including crafts and snacks, colouring, giveaways, scavenger hunts, face painting and more. For information call 635-0877. HF wenn! WALKER Yvonne Warcup with Nan Harrison. What a super walk MORE THAN 40 people bravely headed out under grim, overcast skies to take part in Terrace’s first- ever Superwalk for Parkinson’s, Organizer Marytin Davies said four children and four dogs also joined the efforts Sept. 14. Participants walked along the Grand Trunk Path- way to raise money for the B.C. Parkinson’s Dis- ease Association along with spokeswoman and for- mer Terrace resident, Nan Harrison, The walk raised $3,444.61 in pledges and dona- tions, Davies said, One Kitamaat Village resident, Brian Grant, raised $500, He brought his whole farnily out to take part. ; The money will be used to support research pro- grams on Parkinson’s, a degenerative neurological disorder that affects 100,000 Canadians, including Harrison, a former nurse and school trustee who lived in Terrace for 30 years,