After years of effort, an orange shirt commemorating the victims of Canada91裸聊视频檚 residential school system is now on permanent display in the B.C. legislature.
The framed shirt was presented at a ceremony on Oct. 27 and features a quote by residential school survivor Eddy Charlie and a design by Indigenous artist Bear Horne.
91裸聊视频淵ou can91裸聊视频檛 define a moment like that with words,91裸聊视频 Charlie said. 91裸聊视频淲hen I think about this ceremony, I can only think about the community and the (more than) 150,000 children who went to residential schools 91裸聊视频 I really want Canada and people all across the world to think about this.91裸聊视频
Charlie said the project started two years ago when he and co-founder of the Victoria chapter of Orange Shirt Day, Kristin Spray, were approached about displaying a flag designed by Horne in the legislature to honour residential school survivors. But Charlie said he did not feel there was a relationship of reconciliation strong enough for him to be OK with a flag being displayed.
He felt a shirt bearing the design 91裸聊视频 which features a bear to guide people on the right path, an eagle to help people have a vision of a bright future, the hummingbird to keep the mind, body and spirit healthy, and the flower to feed the connection of all the other elements 91裸聊视频 would be more appropriate and still facilitate a move toward reconciliation.
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Having the shirt on display in the legislature91裸聊视频檚 Hall of Honour is an important step toward reconciliation, Charlie said, but it is far from the only thing needed to achieve that goal.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 one small step toward healing between two different cultures and two different communities,91裸聊视频 he said. 91裸聊视频淗aving that shirt on display with my quote is incredibly powerful 91裸聊视频 every orange shirt worn by Indigenous people carries a lot of grief.91裸聊视频
Charlie said he hopes people who see the display go home and think about the residential schools and the impact they had on Indigenous peoples and have honest conversations about truth and reconciliation.
The fact the B.C. government is willing to display the shirt gives Charlie 91裸聊视频渇aint hope91裸聊视频 things will improve.
91裸聊视频淚 believe that tiny bit of hope can go a long way to opening up more conversation.91裸聊视频
Support for survivors and their families is available. Call the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066, or 1-866-925-4419 for the 24-7 crisis line. The KUU-US Crisis Line Society also offers 24-7 support at 250-723-4050 for adults, 250-723-2040 for youth, or toll free at 1-800-588-8717.
justin.samanski-langille@goldstreamgazette.com
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