In Canada, today, September 30th, marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This federal statutory holiday is the Government of Canada's commitment to reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of Canada and to ensure that the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools are never forgotten.
This day, Orange Shirt Day also takes place. This 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 promote the concept 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." [1]
Today, I take time to ponder these words that have taken over a lot of my social media feeds (author unknown):
Every Single One Of Your Indigenous Friends Is Either A Residential School Survivor,
A Survivor's Child, A Survivor's Grandchild, Or All Three.
Every.
Single.
One.
We, Canadians, live, work, and play in a land that was taken from people that systematically were abused, marginalized, and/or killed for generations. This is a very recent history and the pain is still very raw. I am glad that at least now there is an official day that marks this truth and I hope one day we can find a way of true reconciliation with the original inhabitants of this land. I hope we can hear their voices -silenced for so long- and learn from their teachings.
Infogenetica Solutions Ltd. operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation). We thank the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm who continue to live on these lands and care for them, along with the waters and all that is above and below.
Every child matters. Let's never forget this.