10/01/2026
Today, we wanted to make this post personal. Instead of just showing statistics, we wanted to show real people in our family.
The people you see in these photos are our parents, grandparents, and generations before them. Without their strength and resilience, we wouldn’t be here.
Our ancestors attended the residential school shown in these slides, also where we spent most of our childhood. More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced through the residential school system in Canada. The purpose wasn’t simply education. It was assimilation. Separating Indigenous children from their families, languages, cultures and identities.
And yet, we’re still here.
That’s part of what XUSI represents to us. Breaking cycles. Reclaiming culture. Creating economic opportunities for our people. Finding new ways to carry our teachings forward. Building something our younger relatives can look at and know that there is space for them to dream bigger.
We will always stand against residential school denialism, racism and ignorance. The significance of this brand goes far beyond clothing. XUSI will continue to stand for our people, create opportunities for our youth and contribute to the work of Truth and Reconciliation in the ways we know how.
We aren’t sharing this story because we want pity. We aren’t asking for handouts.
We’re asking people to acknowledge what happened. Learn the history. Listen to Survivors. Challenge ignorance when you hear it. Support Indigenous people, communities and businesses. Be an ally beyond September 30th.
Truth has to come before reconciliation.
Today we honour the ones who came before us, the Survivors who are still with us, the children who never made it home, and the generations who continue carrying their strength.
Every Child Matters. 🧡
