Niagara Falls will be lit orange in honor of the 215 Indigenous children who lost their lives at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada. The lights will go orange from 10:15 PM to 11:15 PM, Eastern Standard Time tonight and tomorrow (May 30th and 31st). Two non-Indigenous Niagara Falls Water Protectors, Ken Cosentino and City Councilman Bill Kennedy, were the ones who made it happen. Says Councilman Kennedy “In 2017, when Ken ran my grassroots campaign for city council, he said he’d do it for free if I just promised one thing: We do the right thing and honor our Indigenous families any chance we get. I said of course, that’s a no brainer!”

On Thursday, Chief of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc Rosanne Casimir broke the tragic news; a mass grave was discovered at the former site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. The grave contained the bodies of 215 Indigenous children who had been hidden for decades until now. Social media erupted with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies speaking out about the atrocities suffered by Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996.

“We all knew about it, it’s not something that people like to talk about,” says Cosentino, “It’s too painful for a lot of elders to discuss. There are many survivors alive today who were victims of attempted cultural genocide at the hands of the Catholic Church and Canadian/US governments for well over a century. These 215 children represent thousands more who are still lost.” After seeing a photo shared by his friend Kateri Capton-Serpas of the iconic waterfalls bathed in orange light, an idea sparked in Cosentino’s mind. “It just made sense. Let’s light the Falls orange. Let the world mourn with us the innocent souls of these children who were never laid to rest properly.” He made a call to Kennedy who acted quickly, contacting the Niagara Falls Illumination Board and requesting that the Falls be lit orange. The very next day, that request has been fulfilled.

This is not the first time the duo have taken action for Indigenous rights. In November of 2019, Kennedy sponsored a city resolution recognizing the ancestral lands of the Onöndawá’ga (Seneca) people in Niagara Falls. The resolution passed unanimously. He has also spoken out publicly about residential schools in the past, while denouncing a monument in the Falls dedicated to Wounded Knee Medal of Honor recipient Frederick Toy. “There’s no honor in genocide,” said Kennedy in an emotional public statement. The two recently appeared side-by-side on Episode 15 of “Cut to the Chase” hosted by Chase Iron Eyes, speaking on a plethora of initiatives happening in the Niagara Region.

In addition, Cosentino spearheaded efforts along with fellow Niagara Falls Water Protector Randy Greene (Turtle Clan) to bring fresh drinking water to the Tuscarora Reservation. Just minutes from the Niagara River, hundreds of people on the Tuscarora Reservation have not had fresh drinking water since 1958 when the New York Power Authority dammed up their fresh water creeks. Since November of 2017, the Tuscarora Water Drive has provided truckloads of fresh water to the people on the reservation on a monthly basis. Volunteers, led by Charlene and Quincy Washington and coordinated by Kateri Capton-Serpas, have dedicated themselves to keeping an endless supply of fresh water flowing to those in need on the reservation. “It’s a drop of water in a bucket, and a band-aid on a bullet hole,” says Cosentino, “but at least it helps alleviate some of their stress. We don’t need to be Indigenous to open our hearts to our Haudenosaunee brothers and sisters. The 215 children found at the former site of Kamloops breaks my heart, as a father and as a human being.”

Hopefully the lighting of majestic Niagara Falls, a natural wonder of the world and the sacred Thundering Waters, will be a beacon of hope to Indigenous people worldwide. The message is clear: We hear you. We are listening, and we are putting our words into actions. May this message be echoed throughout the planet by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike. Perhaps Mount Rushmore should be lit orange next in a show of solidarity.

[Far left, Niagara Falls City Councilman Bill Kennedy and Ken Cosentino stand with Seneca Water Protectors on the island of Celinda Eliza, overlooking Niagara Falls]

Niagara Falls Lit Orange For Kamloops 215