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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021

Earlier this year, the federal government passed legislation to mark September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Province of BC has moved to recognize this as a new annual statutory day, and a day of commemoration. As noted by the BC Government in their news release about this legislation:

“In recent years, Sept. 30 has been known as Orange Shirt Day, so called because of the residential school experiences of the campaign’s founder, Phyllis Webstad. It is a day when we honour the children who suffered in the residential school system, and many residential school survivors and supporters have advocated for this to become a national day of commemoration, to respond to one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

St. Mark’s and Corpus Christi Colleges will also observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. The College will be closed on this day. Classes will not be held, and College staff and faculty will receive this day off.

We encourage all in our community to take time to reflect, educate, and build awareness as we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Here are some ways you can begin learning now:

  • Read “What you need to know about studying on Musqueam territory”, an article from the UBC Life Blog that offers a starting point for understanding the significance of Musqueam culture and history around the greater UBC campus, where we are situated.
  • Explore the X̱wi7x̱wa Library, a centre for academic and community Indigenous scholarship at UBC. Its collections and services reflect Aboriginal approaches to teaching, learning, and research, and privilege Indigenous perspectives.
  • Visit the Indigenous Foundations website, an information resource on key topics relating to the histories, politics, and cultures of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, developed by the First Nations Studies Program at the University of British Columbia

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