Community Coming together

So Friday at lunch time, I witnessed the power of the people in Chisasibi for the first time.  It truly is magnificent. 
When there is an issue worth fighting for, they'll come together, really quickly and they're strong.  "It may seem a little disorganized here at times," a teacher said, "but they come together real fast when there's an issue."

I get the feeling that they're used to fighting.  The dam, not that long ago for example.  They really put up a fight for that one.  Having to move their whole settlement, change their lifestyles and, changing their whole way of life after residential schools.  It seems so unfair to me that the ones that were here first were the ones that had to fight for the land they lived on.  The land they actually respected...

What I witnessed was a small-scale protest in the front office of the school.  The principal announced that he was to close the school for the afternoon because it was below -25, the wind was greater than 20 Km, and parents were calling him, complaining that their kids would have to walk home.  One person spoke up, then another, then a huge circle of people were standing around the Vice Principal, saying that they didn't want the school to shut down.  "My child told me he doesn't want to miss any more school," one woman said, "are we here for the parents or the children?" 

They didn't close the school. 

In fact, I think that they shouldn't be able to close the school so easily.  Their education matters just as much an anyone else's!  And these kids are really falling behind and it's not fair to them.
 
All this just gives me one more reason to really love the people of Chisasibi.  Three months does not feel like it's nearly long enough to do everything I want to do!  I really do feel there is a spot for me here to help the kids, but more than anything, I honestly, truly feel I can learn so much from them too.