The Huntsville Public Library, in partnership with the Town of Huntsville, has organized an Orange Shirt Day event on September 30 to honour National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Orange Shirt Day was created in 2013 to shed light on the effects of residential schools, honour the experiences of Indigenous peoples, and reaffirm the important statement that every child matters.
“The intergenerational trauma that was experienced by [residential school] survivors and families of survivors is a real and ongoing issue that is happening in Indigenous cultures across Canada,” said Cara McQueen, who works in Community Outreach and Engagement and Adult Programming at the Huntsville Library. “It’s important for non-indigenous people to recognize that we may not be directly responsible for how things played out in the past but we are responsible for how we act today.”
Huntsville’s Orange Shirt Day march will start at 1 p.m. at the High Street municipal parking lot and will end at River Mill Park, a total of half a kilometre of walking. At 1:30, a ceremony will begin which will include speakers, drumming, and a smudging ceremony. People are welcome to participate in either just the walk, just the ceremony, or both.
Attendees are encouraged to wear an official Orange Shirt Day t-shirt if they have one, or anything orange. The t-shirt has a new design every year, which is created by Indigenous youth, and a portion of the funds support the Orange Shirt Day Society.
The HPL team is passionate about reaffirming their commitment to the truth and reconciliation process and keeping it alive and present in the community. In addition to the event, the library has been adding a wide range of resources surrounding reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, including information about the day and why it’s important, information on residential schools and their impact, a Reconciliation and Me page, and book suggestions about Indigenous issues and culture.
McQueen is also offering an adult program this fall called Twisted Histories: Decolonizing Words One Word at a Time. The program is Zoom-based and in the style of a book club, but focuses on podcasts.
For all of these resources and more visit huntsvillelibrary.ca.
“The indigenous community has been aware of what’s been going on for so long and were shouting it from the rooftops but were not being heard ” said McQueen. “But with the recent discoveries [of the bodies of children at residential schools] throughout spring and summer it’s more important now than ever to support these communities. If not now, then when will Canada decide this needs to be addressed? We need to listen to Indigenous people.”
COVID measures will be in place at the event and if you cannot stay physically distanced, please wear a mask.
For more information on Orange Shirt Day, visit orangeshirtday.net.
On September 30, the Canadian flag at municipal buildings in Huntsville will be lowered to half-mast in recognition of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!
Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox so you don’t miss anything!
Click here to support local news
0 Comments