September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — a time to honour the Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools, the ones who never came home and the communities that were devastated with loss of their children. It’s a day to reflect on the lasting impacts of that system. It represents a moment for remembrance, learning, and commitment to the ongoing journey of reconciliation between residential school survivors, Indigenous communities, and the Canadian government and non-Indigenous people.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is also an opportunity to engage with and discuss the Calls to Action put forward by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and what steps the government have taken to support residential school survivors and Indigenous communities.
This September 30th, Mediate BC would like to reflect and highlight the steps that we are taking to support the movement, and what we are doing to negate the continued inequalities and injustices that Indigenous people are continually facing. This year we have chosen to share the stories that Indigenous individuals have generously entrusted to us — stories about their language journeys, and how their connections to language and culture have shaped and impacted their lives. They have shared how either the access they have had, or the lack of access to language and culture has contributed to who they are.
More personal stories will be shared in the coming days.
