Wearing orange, campus group members collect to replicate on residential faculty legacy and decide to ongoing studying and collaboration.
Queen’s group members gathered outdoors Richardson Corridor to witness the elevating of the Survivors Flag and the Each Youngster Issues flag—each symbols of remembrance meant to honour Indigenous individuals, youngsters, and communities impacted by Canada’s residential faculty system. These gathered—most sporting orange in a present of solidarity—paused for a second of silence and reflection, marking what’s Canada’s second official Nationwide Day for Fact and Reconciliation.
“At this time, we maintain in our hearts all of these harmed or misplaced to Canada’s residential faculty system, and stand with survivors and their communities in solidarity, assist, and mutual therapeutic,” says Kanonhsyonne (Janice Hill), Affiliate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives) of the event, which has additionally been lengthy often known as Orange Shirt Day. “Allow us to decide to ongoing listening and studying and decide to day by day actions that construct belief and advance reconciliation.”
With the flag unfurled, attendees then crossed College Avenue to attend an open sacred fireplace ceremony on Agnes Benedickson Area. On the best way, they handed beneath orange shirts hanging from the lampposts that line the thoroughfare from Union Avenue to Stuart Avenue.
As soon as congregated across the Sacred Fireplace, the group was greeted with an Indigenous welcome by Wendy Phillips, Elder-in-Residence with the Workplace of Indigenous Initiatives, and remarks from college leaders.
“Our college is deeply dedicated to the work of reconciliation, and you will need to make time to pay attention and study concerning the legacy of Canada’s residential faculty system,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor. “As we replicate on this vital nationwide day, we should personally undertake to hold this intention ahead. We should proceed to create and nurture a campus group during which everybody feels protected and welcome to share their experiences, and during which we work collectively to construct belief and understanding.”
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Attendees had been greeted with an Indigenous welcome by Wendy Phillips, Elder-in-Residence with the Workplace of Indigenous Initiatives.
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Kanonhsyonne (Janice Hill), Affiliate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives), shares her ideas on the significance of the Nationwide Day for Fact and Reconciliation and our dedication to ongoing listening and studying.
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Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, speaks on the college’s dedication to advancing reconciliation.
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Teri Shearer, Provost and Vice-Principal (Educational), shares remarks throughout the Sacred Fireplace Ceremony.
The Sacred Fireplace Ceremony is one among a number of occasions, initiatives, and studying alternatives that came about at Queen’s main as much as, and on September 30. Amongst these occasions had been Indigenous artwork reveals and crafting workshops, an Elder meet-and-greet, and studying classes, in addition to a collaborative commemorative show led by the School of Well being Sciences.
Much like final 12 months, Queen’s bought and distributed over 3,000 orange shirts, 5,000 commemorative pins, and seven,500 bookmarks to college students, with buy proceeds going towards supporting the Orange Shirt Society, in addition to Indigenous-led applications supporting residential faculty survivors.
Queen’s Chancellor Murray Sinclair additionally shared an academic video message discussing how the time period reconciliation arose and what it means in Canada.
“In easy phrases, reconciliation, in the end, is about this phrase: I wish to be your good friend and I would like you to be my good friend, and I would like us to see one another as equals in order that, every time I would like your assist you’ll be there to offer it to me, and everytime you want my assist I might be there to offer it to you,” mentioned Chancellor Sinclair, who served as head of Canada’s influential Fact and Reconciliation Fee (TRC). “If we will consider reconciliation in these quite simple phrases then it would assist information the actions that we have to observe going ahead.”
Queen’s college students, school, and workers are urged to learn and signal their identify to a dedication to reconciliation created by the Workplace of Indigenous Initiatives, declaring a promise to pursue ongoing listening, studying, and actions.
To facilitate continued studying, there are a number of sources detailing Fact and Reconciliation, decolonization, Indigenous methods of figuring out and being, and rather more on the Workplace of Indigenous Initiatives web site.
