In the spirit of truth and reconciliation, a Survivors' Flag was unveiled Tuesday morning outside Simcoe Hall at Lakehead University in Orillia.
Linda Rodenburg, principal of Lakehead's Orillia campus, says the flag honours the victims of 140 federally run residential schools, their families, and communities.
"I have a nine-year-old and an 11-year-old, and I dropped them off to school this morning for their first day of school," she said. "I cannot imagine being mandated to send them to one of those residential schools. It breaks my heart to think about it."
She says it's important to raise the flag during the busy first day of classes at Lakehead.
"This event allows us to focus for a moment on something that is absolutely essential to the beginning of the school year," she said. "We're beginning the new school year in a good way, and that's through keeping reconciliation top of mind."
Rodenburg says the flag unveiling acknowledges "our colonial history and the intergenerational trauma" that continues to affect communities as a result of the residential school system.
"More than that, it speaks to the resilience of survivors and the strengths of Indigenous cultures," she said. "Survivors from across Canada were consulted in the design of the flag that we'll raise today, and every facet of it, every symbol on it has meaning."
She thanked the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for gifting the university the flag. She vowed the flag will be raised each September going forward.
"We must continue to be vigilant to ensure that no child experiences the hurt of being taken from their families, and that no child today experiences the hurt of being unacknowledged in the trauma that continues to impact Indigenous communities," she said.
Ted Williams, chief of Rama First Nation, says the flag will serve as a daily reminder for staff and students that not all children have been afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential.
"It's our hope moving forward that we can work with the Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous communities so that all of our children and all of our youth can reach their full potential and be positive contributors to our makeup," he said.
Williams says he is frequently asked what people can do to help with truth and reconciliation.
"I tell them to read the (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) report and to read the whole thing," he said. "Take it to your dinner table with your family. Grab one or two of the 94 calls to action and begin to implement it as a family."
If every family implemented at least one of the calls, Williams says, it would benefit everybody, and more specifically, First Nations communities.
Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, vice-provost for Indigenous initiatives at Lakehead, says Canadian universities play a strong role in ensuring students understand the history of this country "fully, truly and completely."
"We have lots of work to do, and I think Lakehead has made that commitment," she said. "I think we're going to continue to do the work and we're going to continue to talk about it."
She says that no Lakehead student will graduate without learning about truth and reconciliation.
Lakehead University will host several free online events throughout September, leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.
Archives: The Gatekeepers of Truth and Reconciliation with Miranda Jimmy on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Re-Storying Intergenerational Trauma through Truth, Reconciliation, and Peacebuilding with Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux on Friday, Sept. 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information and to register, visit lakeheadu.ca/indigenous/events.
