More than 200 people gathered in downtown Sooke on Thursday (Sept. 30) for a special National Day of Truth and Reconciliation ceremony.
The day was made a federal statutory holiday earlier this year, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended in its 94 calls to action. It will be held annually on Sept. 30.
It honours the children who died while being forced to attend residential schools and the survivors, families and communities still affected by the system’s legacy.
Sept. 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, which remembers the story of Phyllis Webstad, a former residential school student who had her orange shirt taken away on her first day at residential school.
Across the country, people are encouraged to wear orange to spread awareness, support an Indigenous-run business or organization if they can, and take time to learn and reflect.
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editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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