Oak Park Raiders unveil Truth and Reconciliation jerseys for Friday's game against Vincent Massey
Sometimes sports is much more than just an athletic competition.
One such time will happen on Friday, September 29 at 4:30 when the Oak Park Raiders host Vincent Massey at Gil Bramwell field at Oak Park School.
The game will feature the Oak Park Raiders wearing special Truth and Reconciliation jerseys, designed by a couple of Indigenous Raiders players, and as such, the game is almost a side-issue. The focus is on Truth and Reconciliation and what it means to the Raiders, to Oak Park school, to Winnipeg, to Manitoba and to the country at large.
Dawson Andrews, who two years ago was awarded a prestigious Manitoba Indigenous Youth Achievement Award for his Indigenous leadership and community involvement, and whose father is a residential school survivor, approached coach Chris Ollson with the idea of designing special jerseys to acknowledge National Truth and Reconciliation Day that occurs on Saturday.
Coach Ollson loved the idea.
“Our high school has the highest percentage of individuals who identify as Indigenous of the four major high schools in Pembina Trails,” says Ollson. “Dawson and his teammates designed a uniform that will allow our Raiders football team to recognize the day of Truth and Reconciliation in a very meaningful way.”
Teammate Rocco Linklater and Educational Assistant Jamie Gatta helped Dawson design and mock-up the jersey. They began the task of finding the right symbols and imagery for the special edition Raiders jerseys, which represent Indigenous teachings and the values of the Oak Park Raiders football team.
Oak Park has produced more professional football players than any high school in Canada. Andrew Harris (Toronto), Sean Jamieson (Montreal), and Nic Demski and Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg) are all graduates of the vaunted Oak Park football program.
This culturally important “feel good” story has created a buzz around Winnipeg. Dawson and Coach Ollson have been featured at a number of media outlets that are kindly sharing this meaningful, emotional story.
Tickets to this very special game are free. See you there!
Watch Dawson on CBC TV
Watch Dawson and Rocco on CITY TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVP4OeSqJG8
Read The Globe and Mail's story on the jerseys
See Dawson and Coach Ollson on CTV
https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2776278
Read CityNews web article on Dawson and Rocco
See Dawson and Coach Ollson on CBC’s website
Hear Dawson and Coach Ollson on CBC Radio
Read the story behind the jersey from the Winnipeg Free Press
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