A group of Dryden and area residents are speaking out about changing the name of Colonization Avenue.
The name change of Colonization Avenue has come up in the past at City Council and on social media, but hasn’t seen much progress.
The definition of Colonization, as explained by Dylan Mackinnon-Ottertail with Dryden Area Anti-Racism Network is “when a colonizer basically conquers an area of land and takes control over the Indigenous people of that area.” Ottertail goes on to say, that area should be celebrated with a different name.
Lawyer, Peter Keen says Colonization was a disaster for Indigenous people where millions of people died.
“When we have people visiting this community and they see Colonization avenue, Colonization for our Indigenous brothers and sisters was one of our greatest crimes in history and it’s an insult. As somebody who has lived and worked in Dryden for many, many years, I don’t want to be insulting our visitors when they come. That’s not fair. It’s not who we are and it’s not what we should be standing for.”
A video compilation of local Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices and organizations hit social media this week to raise awareness about the street name.
Watch the entire video below:
