Mira Khang / Student Reporter
This year on September 30, 2021, is the first national holiday of Truth and Reconciliation. Truth and reconciliation was made into a holiday to honor victims of residential schools. This day was made to support and reflect on the trauma Indigenous people have and to support families of ones who died in residential schools. Residential schools were created by Christian churches and the Canadian government to try to educate and convert Indigenous kids to Canadian society.
Around 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and put into residential schools. Out of all the children that attended, around 6,000 confirmed records died. In Canada, between 1831 and 1996, 130 residential schools were running and by 1996 the last residential school was closed.
According to Adreana.L, a student in grade 10, “Truth and reconciliation day to me is to remember and honor the indigenous children who were forcefully assimilated, tortured, and murdered in residential schools.” “It’s to give some justice to those kids, and to spread more awareness about the indigenous who are currently still affected by residential schools.” “I think that residential schools were wrong because of the abuse Indigenous children experienced”
To Annabell.L, a grade 9 student, Truth and reconciliation day is “a day to think back on the past of residential school schools and what happened to the people who attended them” “I think its good to have it as a holiday to ark that it’s an important day and to support truth and reconciliation we can take the day to learn about what happened to reflect and acknowledge what people affected by residential school feel”.
Many people have different perspectives on this event and many hope people can reflect on this day.
Sources:
Pictures: