National Day for Truth and Reconciliation + Orange Shirt Day
September 30th marks the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as well as Orange Shirt Day. We have put together a list of resources + events happening around the city for you to hold space and move forward through awareness, action, participation and leadership.
Friendly reminder that this coming Friday is not a "holiday" - it is a day to set aside so that we can get involved, learn + do the work. See below for our recommendations of how to spend the National Day for Truth + Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION?
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
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.
This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament.
WHAT IS ORANGE SHIRT DAY?
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and remembers those who did not. Learn more about Orange Shirt Day.
GET INVOLVED: Attend ceremonies happening in our community. Here are some free events taking place on Friday, September 30th.
- Intergenerational March for Orange Shirt Day – the UBC Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre Canada holds an educational march on campus on September 30th between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm.
- Britannia Community Services Centre – an Orange Shirt Day gathering with lunch, crafts and more at the Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre and Grandview Park between 9:00 am and 2:00 pm on September 30th.
- Trout Lake Community Gathering from 1:00pm until 4:00pm
- In Conversation: Chrystal Sparrow, T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss and Rena Soutar at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre. Register for free here to learn from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) artists Chrystal Sparrow and T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss as they discuss their experiences participating in a cultural residency in Stanley Park with Cha’an Dtut-Rena Soutar, Manager of Decolonization, Arts & Culture at the Park Board.
- Museum of Vancouver is offering special admission this year. On September 30th in 2022, all visitors wearing an orange shirt enter the museum for free.
GET INVOLVED: Our picks for paid events
- The Dance Centre: Jeanette Kotowish - Kisiskâciwan An experience within the context of contemporary dance performance, referencing protocol, ritual, our relationship to the natural and Spirit world, and ancestral knowledge. Conceived and performed by Kotowich in collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, this solo work is a journey to one’s self. Friday, September 30th - Saturday, October 1st. Tickets from $25 - $34.
- Root Dwellers: IRSSS fundraiser performance with three phenomenal indigenous music artists. Opening with Hayley Wallis (Soul-Pop / Singer-Songwriter) and moving into headliners Dakota Bear (Hip-Hop), JB The First Lady (Hip-Hop / Spoken Word). September 30th + doors from 7pm. Tickets are $21.50 each
- Bring the kids to experience Frozen River: a poignant and powerful play about reconciliation, environmentalism, and interconnectedness. It tackles meaningful issues through engaging storytelling, whimsical puppetry, and an age-appropriate narrative about the generational impact of our actions on the environment and our communities.
- When: September 28 to October 16, 2022
- Where: Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St (Granville Island, Vancouver)
- Tickets: Available online now from $18
LIVESTREAM EVENTS + CELEBRATIONS
- On Truth and Reconciliation: Over zoom, join artist James Harry for a talk on his most recent piece in collaboration with SOS Children’s Village BC. Harry is of Squamish (Swxwú7meshḵ) and European descent and is the recipient of the 2022 Griffin Art Projects Indigenous Studio Award. Register to join from 1:00pm - 2:30pm.
- Listen + Watch with CBC
READ
- Our Story: Aboriginal Voices on Canada's Past
- Kiss of the Fur Queen
- The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
START YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
There is so much information out there, it can be overwhelming. See below for some of our recommendations to begin your education towards Truth and Reconciliation.