An Indigenous activist in Winnipeg claims that over the past year, there has been “immense progress” achieved in terms of acknowledging Orange Shirt Day, the reasons it is significant, and putting a sincere emphasis on reconciliation within the community.
Community activist Michael Redhead Champagne told Global News, “I’m seeing more and more non-Indigenous individuals taking leadership, and I think that’s exactly what I wanted.”
There are reports like the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Girls and Women Calls for Justice and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. These records are the result of my family’s and my own suffering; we gave them our all by sharing our stories and our dreadful generational experiences. Non-Indigenous people will read such calls to action and get to work if they truly want to pursue reconciliation. and I have been observing that throughout the past year.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, commonly known as Orange Shirt Day, was originally developed by Phyllis Webstad, a British Columbian residential school survivor, and was last year made a legislative holiday by the federal government.
At a commemoration ceremony over ten years ago, Webstad told her experience. She claimed that when she was sent to residential school without her will, her clothing was stolen from her, including a brand-new orange shirt her grandmother had purchased.
When Indigenous children attended residential schools, their identities were taken, and that clothing became a symbol of that.
By minimising the amount of Indigenous children who are impacted by another government institution, according to Champagne, Manitoba can demonstrate its dedication to truth and reconciliation right now.
“We simply need to read the first call to action if we’re serious about truth and reconciliation in the city or this province.
Reduce the number of Indigenous children in care, according to TRC’s first call to action.
“I hope we can find a way to encourage the people that want to accomplish the completion of these calls for action and calls to justice but don’t know how, so that we can avoid reconciliation paralysis. “That’s the city that I want to live in.
Reconciliation has made “immense progress,” but Orange Shirt Day wants more: Canadian activist
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