This statement contains content about residential schools that may be triggering. 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.
September 30 is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Students’ Union Executive stands in solidarity with our Indigenous peers, their families, friends, elders and community members by honouring today as a time of reflection.
This is a day to centre survivors, to remember those who lost their lives to this country’s residential school system, and to recognize the trauma that has impacted many lives since.
We must also remember that colonization is ongoing and that the University was founded as a colonial institution. As Treaty partners, dismantling colonial and imperial systems of oppression opens up new worlds of being, real action and possibilities of healing. As Kaitlin Curtice said recently, “The gift is in the unlearning, the new education, and in changing those systems for future generations. Onward.” If you are a UAlberta student, we ask you to join us in recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by seeking the truth, reflecting, and working toward change.
We encourage all members of the campus community to honour this time and learn about the legacies of residential schools, racism and prejudice against Indigenous peoples, and the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in child-welfare systems across the country due to colonial policies and systemic racism. We ask you to reflect on your own connection to Indigenous communities of the lands you occupy, participate in awareness activities, or make a donation to an appropriate Indigenous-led charity. We are donating 100% of today’s revenue from the Daily Grind to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, a long-running charity that does vital work.
To learn more, and find more ways to support , please see the resources listed at uasu.ca/truthreconciliationday or visit this article: Non-Indigenous people — here’s what you can do, right now.
Sincerely,
Rowan Ley, President
Talia Dixon, VP Student Life
Emily Kimani, VP Operations and Finance
Christian Fotang, VP External
Abner Monteiro, VP Academic