The CNC community will take part in Orange Shirt Day to educate and promote awareness about the lasting impact of residential schools on Indigenous peoples, families, and communities.
Orange Shirt Day began as a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake BC in 2013. As described on orangeshirtday.org, “The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Chief Justice Murray Sinclair challenged all of the participants to keep the reconciliation process alive, as a result of the realization that every former student had similar stories.”
Orange Shirt Day takes place on September 30th because this is historically the time of year when children were taken from their homes and brought to residential schools.
CNC’s Aboriginal Resource Centre in Prince George as well as Aboriginal Liaisons in all five regional campuses have contributed time and energy to supporting Orange Shirt Day activities. They will distribute orange shirts, masks and beading kits to promote reconciliation. We are grateful for their efforts.
We hope you will take part in this day of education and understanding by wearing an orange shirt or related item, and taking the time to understand the lasting impacts of residential schools in the communities CNC serves, particularly the Lejac Residential School in Fraser Lake which most First Nations in the area attended from 1922 to 1976.
In the meantime, we wish to share an instructional video developed by Stephanie and Kat. They are CNC students who have worked on projects each year to raise awareness and start a dialogue on the impacts of residential schools on Indigenous communities, and how the trauma has impacted subsequent generations and communities.