Cindy Biancaniello, Director of the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, raised the Every Child Matters flag during a ceremony at the flag poles in front of Brock University ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.Brock students, faculty and staff gathered at the University’s flag poles for the raising of the Every Child Matters flag on Monday, Sept. 22.
Leading the flag raising was Cindy Biancaniello, Director of the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre. Held in the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the event honoured the memory of Indigenous children who were forced to attend residential schools, as well as the Survivors and their families.
Orange Shirt Day, which coincides with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, began with the story of Phyllis Webstad. On her first day at a residential school in Williams Lake, B.C., Webstad had her new orange shirt, a gift from her grandmother, taken from her.
The colour orange has since become a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-worth experienced by generations of First Nations, Métis and Inuit children.
Brock is hosting a series of events throughout the month to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. More information is available on The Brock News.
