Niagara Catholic recognized Truth and Reconciliation Week by flying the Every Child Matters flag at schools and sites, and by participating in lessons and activities to support our journey.
Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, an Indigenous educator and media personality and son of Murray Sinclair, who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, spoke to the Board of Trustees at the September 30 Board Meeting.
Dr. Sinclair spoke about the importance of unity and understanding, noting that today’s youth are, “the most competent generation in history” because of their depth of understanding of Canadian history.
He also noted that Jesus would have recognized the importance of Orange Shirt Day.
“Jesus believed that all of us mattered,” said Dr. Sinclair. “It is 100 per cent my belief that if you offered Jesus an orange shirt that says every child matters, and you said, ‘hey, we’re all going to walk together today. … We are going to make a path where we can collaborate, join together, and we are not sacred of the tough conversations; if we just stick together and talk enough and sit enough and share food enough, we can accomplish anything,’ He’d put that shirt on.”
Later that week, Niagara Catholic partnered with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority for the Niagara Great Lakes Student Conference. During the outdoor education session, students from St. Kateri Catholic School and Saint Paul Catholic High School learned from Indigenous community members and others about the importance of water to our ecosystem and our existence.
On September 30, Niagara Catholic partnered with the Niagara Parks Commission for a walk alongside Niagara Falls to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day. Niagara Catholic students, staff, members of our senior team, and trustees participated in the walk, which was followed by a keynote address by Brock University professor Dr. Josh Manitowabi.
At schools, students planted trees, participated in art projects focused on truth and reconciliation, read books about the history and meaning of Orange Shirt Day and learned more about Indigenous history and its impact on Indigenous people today.
As we continue our journey towards truth and reconciliation, we honour residential school survivors who share their stories and who speak for those whose voices were silenced.
Retelling Canadian history is not an easy task. Our generation is the one that is flipping the script, but it will be future generations who continue this the work. Niagara Catholic continues to support students learning these important lessons as we all journey toward answering the 94 Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Report.