Orange Shirt Day

This is the design on G's orange shirt. We wore ours today to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The design is one of several on shirts for the day, and it was great to see so many community members wearing them. 
Orange Shirt Day was first established as an observance in 2013, as part of an effort to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century. The impact of the residential school system has been recognized as a cultural genocide, and continues to this day. (Wikipedia)
The Indigenous Teacher Education program that I worked for (NITEP) is part of the Faculty of Education at UBC. The program is committed to increasing the number of Indigenous educators provincially and nationally. Many of the graduates are Indigenous leaders in education who are transforming schools, organizations, and communities through Indigenous ways of knowing. 
Many of my students were residential school survivors and others were family members of survivors and suffered from transgenerational trauma. G and I have heard plenty first-hand stories of the terrible treatment that students in the schools received. Every one of the students was determined to make a difference. I raise my hands in honour of everyone who works to make education a much more positive experience for Indigenous students today. 
Good to see that the totem pole that was stolen from Nisga'a territory and sold to a Scottish museum was rematriated. I'm including a link to a short video from CBC News last night about the welcoming home of the totem pole. One of my former students, a hereditary chief, is in the video at approximately the 50 second mark leading the procession. His mother was also one of my students. I saw several familiar faces in the crowd. The Nisga'a School District is part of the public school district in BC, and several former students work there. Here's a link to the video if you're interested in having a look.
It's an emotional day for us. I have difficulty finding the right words to express my emotions. Huy ch q'u to all our Indigenous friends for educating us, trusting us and sharing so much of their personal experiences. Huy ch q'u means thank you in Hul'qumi'num, the language spoken in Cowichan territory where I worked for many years.