Naming the Dead

Naming the Dead

Recently I heard these words from Ai Wei Wei about the importance of naming the dead: “A name is the first and final marker of individual rights, one fixed part of the ever-changing human world. A name is the most basic characteristic of our human rights; no matter...

And the child will lead them

Thanks Lydia Wylie-Kellermann for sharing this great story of how we can resist disappearing death with our kids. Learning from Laughter: Fish Funeral Home /Author: susiehenderson/Page...
Who Speaks for the Dead?

Who Speaks for the Dead?

Flesherton, Ontario While exploring the National Film Board website this summer I came across a powerful story of a community effort to restore a cemetery near Priceville Ontario, called Speakers for the Dead.  The film describes how the area was the  landing spot a...
Play on, Mr. Nathan

Play on, Mr. Nathan

Garden Avenue School, TorontoLast night at my daughter’s school we had a memorial for a young teacher who had died earlier in the year, who was very popular with the younger kids.  They called him Mr.Nathan and he was known for playing soccer out in the yard with...
Going Back for Those Who Were Forgotten

Going Back for Those Who Were Forgotten

African Burial Ground National Monument New York CityMay 2014 I’d like to think that the spirits of the ancestors drew our family to visit the site of the African Burial Ground National Monument.  Actually we could have used some guidance to help locate the site, as...