Lost Souls: Tom Jackson's new single speaks to the realities of residential schools
The latest single from actor, singer and activist Tom Jackson portrays the heartbreaking realities of Canada’s residential school system.
In ‘Lost Souls,’ Jackson shuffles between the perspectives of the residential school children and the government with lines that include, “You get so much praise for your long, beautiful braid. Your life is in your hair. I’ll cut it. You say a prayer,” and "If this stays hidden, there is no villain. If you want to defeat the Indian, take away their children."
Jackson, whose mother is a residential school survivor, said he felt compelled to write the song after hearing about the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia.
“I thought, I need to write something on the moment when I saw this story,” he said on CTV Morning Live on Thursday.
“If I’m going to do it, I’d better tell the truth as far as I knew it. I think if we’re going to heal, sometimes it takes pain.”
Jackson said that spiritual healing is a journey that everyone has to go through by talking about tragedies. He said if these stories are ignored, they will just get buried again.
“We cannot heal, we cannot lose that pain if we don’t keep the conversation going,” he said.
“My whole intent is to make sure that we do not stop talking about this.”
Jackson added that reconciliation can only come once people find the truth.
He hopes that when people hear this song and watch the video, they will like it and share it.
“Share it with people with the message that they have to watch it, like it and share it,” Jackson said.
After that, Jackson wants people to pick up their phone and call someone to tell them they love them.
“Could you imagine if 100 people watch this video and then they call somebody and they tell them they love them, how different the world would be in, what, five minutes? Imagine if you could change the world for the better in five minutes?” he said.
With the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation coming up on Sept. 30, Jackson said he hopes people do not only focus on the negative.
“It’s not just a day to reflect on the negative things going on in the world, not just the tragic things that are going on in the world, but the magic that goes on in the world of Indigenous people,” he said.
‘Lost Souls’ will be played as part of the Manitoba 150 special airing on Saturday, Sept. 25 on CTV Winnipeg.
- With files from CTV’s Nicole Dube.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
What a U.S. farmworker’s case of bird flu tells us about tracking the infection
A U.S. farmworker who caught bird flu after working with dairy cattle in Texas appears to be the first known case of mammal-to-human transmission of the virus, a new study shows.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.