Residential school activist passes

By Eric Plummer
Alberni Valley Times
July 23, 2014

http://www.avtimes.net/news/local/residential-school-activist-passes-1.1256817

One of the most vocal opponents of the Alberni Indian Resident School has died, leaving behind a host of unanswered questions in what many believe is a black mark on the Alberni Valley's history.

At the age of 10 Alvin Dixon was taken from his family in Bella Bella to attend the school in 1947, part of a mandatory federal program designed to assimilate First Nations children into mainstream society. He would spend the next eight years at the Alberni school, eventually studying at the University of British Columbia and leading careers in teaching, councilling and social activism. Dixon passed on Sunday at the age of 77 in Vancouver.

He was one of several former students at the local school to accuse the institution of experimenting the effects of malnutrition on students. A study released last summer by University of Guelph historian Ian Mosby backed up Dixon's claims, determining that students were deficient in vitamins A, B, C, iodine and riboflavin due to a lack of fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk and cheese. To measure the effects of an enhanced dairy intake, the amount of milk in students' diets was tripled.

"There's no question that there's more to be discovered and there's no question that the health issues are reverberating today. It's disgusting," said Dixon in an interview with the Victoria Times Colonist last year. "This government is no different from the government 40 or 50 years ago. Racism is still rampant."

Dixon went on to study at UBC, teach in Bella Bella and in the 1990s became a councillor for former residential school students. Despite his career success, he recalled being an "emotional terrorist" to his family due to abuse endured at the Alberni school.

"He was a really straight shooter, said Chief Robert Joseph, an ambassador for Reconciliation Canada, who knew Dixon for more than a decade. "It was so much needed to get to where we are now."

Dixon played a key role in the United Church's push for a public inquiry into the conditions at the residential school. This initiative led to the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was established to uncover more information from former students and government bodies about residential schools across Canada.

"He was interested in the idea that we could move from our states of dysfunction as a result of our experiences to move forward in partnership with all Canadians," Joseph said. "To heal, to reconcile, to shore the wealth of this country and have a vision together that included all of our children."

Other former students at the local residential school accused the institution of physical, sexual abuse and the deaths of children due to neglect. Settlement agreements have been reached between the Alberni school's survivors and the Government of Canada.

"From first contact and when we first started to develop this country, we were absolutely considered less than human," said Joseph, who attended a residential school himself. "The people who were doing those experiments had no regard, no respect for the humanity of aboriginal people."

The Alberni Indian Residential School was founded in 1890 by the Presbyterian Church, running until a fire destroyed the building in 1917. The federal government established another school in 1920, which operated until 1973. The school was demolished in 2009.