CUE marks National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
Content warning: The links shared in this article mentions residential schools, assimilation, ongoing harm, colonial impacts and violence to children. The Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-721-0066.
A national Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. Other members of our community can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
Concordia University of Edmonton’s campus (CUE) will be closed on Saturday, September 30 in observance of National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. The campus remains closed on Monday, October 2 in lieu of the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation falling on a Saturday. All CUE students and staff are encouraged to wear orange on campus on Friday, September 29 in commemoration of Orange Shirt Day.
Orange Shirt Day began in 2013 to raise awareness of the history and ongoing legacies of Indian Residential Schools. To learn more about Orange Shirt Day, please visit the Orange Shirt Society’s website, read Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s story and listen to her message here.
For generations, survivors and their families have courageously shared the truth about Canada’s Indian Residential School System. The immense grief, loss, abuse, and disconnection experienced by survivors and the intergenerational impacts on families has been well documented. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission listened to hundreds of survivor testimonies and created a roadmap to reconciliation through 94 Calls to Action including specific calls for education to address the historic and ongoing legacies of colonialism embedded within our system.
We know that this journey requires everyday action and that we need to reflect on our individual and collective actions that can be taken to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism, disrupt status quo ways of working that perpetuate systemic racism, and to create a campus that is safe, equitable, and free of racism and discrimination for Indigenous peoples and communities.
The CUE community is strongly encouraged to take part in learning opportunities happening throughout the Edmonton area and online. The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
- Listen to episode 3 of the Cup of Jo with Tim podcast where we explore truth and reconciliation as well as kihêwak kâpimihâcik (‘Where the Eagles Fly’), our Indigenous students’ centre.
- Read through the 94 recommendations that came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report (2015).
- Attend events and ceremonies in the local and virtual community.
Community Events
Rock moccasin making
Last year we invited students and staff from CUE to paint rocks to appear like moccasins to represent the children who were taken, the children who never made it home, and the children that continue to experience the intergenerational impacts of the residential “school” system in Canada.
CSA’s Orange Shirt Sale
This year’s orange shirt was designed by Ardina Hunter (CUE student) and will be sold by the Concordia Students’ Association (CSA) for $10.00 each. Pay squares and cash are accepted forms of payment. No profits will be made from the shirts.
Learn more about the artist & the design
The Artist
Ardina Hunter is a niitsitapi and nehiyaw (Blackfoot and Cree) woman from the Goodfish Lake First Nation. In May 2023, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Concordia University of Edmonton. She was unable to attend Convocation because she was selected to participate in a Global Skills Opportunities Indigenous cultural exchange in Brazil. This fall she continues at CUE in the Bachelor of Education After-Degree program. She hopes to teach art and social studies in Treaty 7 after she graduates. Ardina enjoys drawing, travelling, and beading.
The Design
The 7 sacred grandfather teachings inform how we are supposed to live. The teachings speak to our values that include truth, wisdom, honesty, courage, humility, respect, and love. From a nehiyaw/Cree perspective, the bear represents courage. Like the bear, courage requires strength of body and mind and allows us to overcome adversity. When you consider the impact and legacy of the residential school system in Canada I think of the bear teaching. Children were taken from their safe places and their mothers to unlearn who they are and endure devastating loss and abuse. The mother bear and cub face one another with courage in the tipi (a safe place-our home) to relearn love, trust, and connection. Our families continue to demonstrate courage when telling our stories, doing the work to heal, and restoring our family relationships.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Join us in ceremony for this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Eventbrite registration is required – click here.
Orange Shirt Community Walk
Organized by Standing Together, Edmontonians are welcome to join this year’s walk honouring survivors, both living and no longer with us. Orange shirts and bagged lunches will be provided free of charge to all participants. Click here for poster.
Orange Shirt Day Walk and Run
In an effort to raise funds for local grassroots movements, Edmontonians are encouraged to take part in the third annual Orange Shirt Day Walk and Run. To register visit indigenousrunner.com.
Virtual Events
Attend virtual Truth and Reconciliation Week events as hosted by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
Concordia University of Edmonton is located on Treaty 6 land, the traditional trading and gathering place and homeland to the Metis Nation (Region IV). The campus is located on one of the original Metis river lots in Edmonton. In recent years, Concordia has renewed our focus on engagement with Indigenous students, staff and community partners. We are committed to continuing our journey towards truth and reconciliation by eliminating systemic barriers to learning and working as well as supporting opportunities for cultural reclamation/revitalization by Indigenous students as facilitated by kihêwak kâpimihâcik.
Resources about the History and Legacy of Residential Schools
Films
Bones of Crows – Available for rent on many platforms
Forced into residential school, Aline Spears and her siblings are plunged into a fight for survival that shapes the Spears family for generations.
We Were Children – NFB and Amazon Prime
As young children, Lyna and Glen were taken from their homes and placed in church-run boarding schools, where they suffered years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, the effects of which persist in their adult lives. We Were Children gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit.
Returning Home – Crave
RETURNING HOME follows Phyllis on a nationwide educational tour, while her family struggles to heal multigenerational wounds at home in Secwépemc territory.
Indian Horse – Netflix
Indian Horse follows Saul Indian Horse as he survives residential school and the racism of the 1970s. A talented hockey player, Saul must find his own path as he battles stereotypes and alcoholism.
*Other books, reports, and resources: https://concordia.on.worldcat.org/list/17950499
*Content warning: Discussions, events, and resources may be triggering and/or cause distress. Please reach out to a friend, family member, or another trusted person. If one is not available, please contact the Edmonton Distress Line (780-482-4357) for supportive listening and other resources.
Distress Line – 780-482-4357 (HELP)
The Distress Line is available 24/7 for those in crisis or distress or those supporting someone who is.
They provide confidential, judgment-free, short-term crisis intervention, emotional support and resources to people in crisis or distress.
You might call if you’re dealing with overwhelming emotional distress, need crisis intervention, or if you’re in need of emergency response.