Sep 19, 2023
Vancouver, BC – September 30, marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR). This day is also Orange Shirt Day, which honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. The NDTR Committee would like to invite the College community to come to the offerings below and learn about residential schools and their impact today. This public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. We hope to see you at these offerings.
About Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family, and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to highlight the importance of "Every Child Matters". The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
Resources
It’s important to understand and recognize the past in order to build a strong and resilient shared future. We invite you to visit the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation resources page for a collection of resources, podcasts, videos, local events, and much more to begin, or continue, the ongoing process of reconciliation.
List of Offerings
We acknowledge that these offerings are happening on the traditional, ancestral, unceded and present-day lands of the Musqueam who have stewarded them since time immemorial.
Many of the offerings below include mention and discussion around residential schools and other potentially sensitive and traumatic subject matters. Please take care and consider your capacity for engaging in this information as we have not been able to provide warnings for each offering.
Wednesday, September 27
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Opening
Featuring Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolf Pack)
Time: 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Location: A Building Foyer - Education station
Time: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: A Building Foyer - Musqueam Timeline [POSTPONED]
Time: 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Location: T-Gallery
Thursday, September 28
- Education station
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: A Building Foyer - Musqueam Flag Raising Ceremony
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Location: Front Lawn
Friday, September 29
- Education station
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: A Building Foyer - Closing Friendship Circle Drum Dance
With Elder in Residence, Nk'xetko
Time: 2:30 pm 3:30 pm
Location: T-Gallery
Orange Shirts available
The bookstore on campus has a limited number of orange shirts by Coast Salish artist Simone Diamond and produced by Native Northwest. To purchase a shirt, visit the on-campus bookstore or online.