Home for Colored Children apology: N.S. says sorry to ex-residents – Nova Scotia – CBC News

Long overdue and well expressed:

“It is one of the great tragedies in our province’s history that your cries for help were greeted with silence for so long,” said McNeil. “Some of you faced horrific abuse that no child should ever experience. You deserved a better standard of care. For the trauma and neglect you endured, and their lingering effects on you and your loved ones, we are truly sorry.”

McNeil went on to thank former residents for their “courage and perseverance in telling your stories. Your strength, your resilience, and your desire for healing and reconciliation should be an inspiration to all Nova Scotians.”

Tony Smith, one of the former residents, thanked those who worked for many years to shed light on the abuses.

“There’s so much time, effort and energy by a lot of great people that got us to this point today. I’m very proud today that I am a former resident of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, that is something that I used to be ashamed of. I’m very proud that my peers and colleagues asked me to be a voice for them,” he said.

The premier called the abuses at the home “only one chapter in a history of systemic racism and inequality that has scarred our province for generations.”

Home for Colored Children apology: N.S. says sorry to ex-residents – Nova Scotia – CBC News.