This year, in the days leading up to National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30, the TRU Wellness Centre organized a three-day event honouring the past, present and future with Tk’emlups te Secwépmc Elder Doe Thomas. The event, Reconciliation & Inner Voice, ran from Sept. 23-25, with a gallery display at Old Main and Cplul’kw’ten (House 5) for the first two days, concluding with a sharing circle at OLARA.
During the open event, the public was encouraged to view photographs from Thomas’s past and present, and to learn about her experience as a survivor of the residential school system.
“I don’t have a lot of childhood pictures anymore. Never did, really. Which is kind of a shame because we should always know where we come from,” Thomas said as she recalled the process of choosing the photos of her past.
One of her pictures showed her grandfather cutting her younger brother’s hair while surrounded by siblings and cousins.
“It represented the [core] of our family from my dad’s side. They were always there. They were always loving. They were always supportive. So those are good memories,” Thomas said.
To symbolize the present, Thomas picked photographs of her granddaughters’ graduations. She narrated how her youngest granddaughter acknowledged her during her valedictorian speech.
“At this time, I want to acknowledge my Moshum and my grandma as residential school survivors. They showed me what reconciliation looks like, how to walk it, and most importantly, how to speak my truth,” the speech read.
As a mother and grandmother, Thomas explained that one of her wishes was for her children and grandchildren to be kind and better people. “It allows my early dreams of hope that things can change for my people, and I see it in them every day.”
The origins of this event stemmed from Thomas’s bravery as she harnessed her inner voice to promote education on the subject of truth and reconciliation.
“When Doe shared her story, there was an image in my mind. I thought about the war, about transformation, and I saw a person in the dark, completely dark, completely mute,” said Anh Thư Pham, the student wellness ambassador who led the event. “But then, during the whole period of time gathering strength, [the person] starts to use their voice. That’s why we’re here today. It’s the domino effect of using your voice.”
For Pham, using photography as a medium to commemorate the past and the present also served as a way to celebrate Thomas’s history.
“In my culture, we have a saying, ‘the fallen leaf returns to the root.’ It talks about the past of the person, but also about no matter how far you go, home doesn’t need to be a location, but something within you.”
During the first day, the event offered snacks, colouring sheets and resources from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Students in Old Main had the opportunity to speak with Thomas and leave messages of encouragement about what truth and reconciliation meant to them.
“As an international student from Kenya, I was not at all aware of what Truth and Reconciliation meant and what Indigenous communities went through. Now, whenever I see people wearing the orange shirt, I know the symbolic effect of it,” said Leticia Kanywuiro, one of the students who attended the display. “It’s important to continue to bring that awareness because it’s still very much an issue of what Indigenous communities go through. It’s important – what TRU is doing – to emphasize truth and reconciliation, through hosting events and giving indigenous members the opportunity to share their stories and what they went through.”
The second day of the event took place at Cplul’kw’ten from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the weekly Soup Circle. Students and staff members filled The Gathering Place to share soup and listen to Thomas’s story and hopes for current and future generations.
“When we talk about truth and we talk about reconciliation, it shouldn’t just be one day out of the year. It’s not just Sept. 30; it should be every day of our lives,” Thomas said. “To accept and recognize that I’m the solution. Each of you can be the solution. And more importantly, ask yourselves, why do you need to be?”
Wellness senior coordinator Chelsea Corsi said she wants the Wellness Centre to be known for its inclusiveness and commitment to equity, seeking ways to reconcile and improve in terms of decolonizing their work.
“As a nurse and a healthcare professional for over twenty years, it’s just devastating to think that people can go to someone like myself, and be treated with racism and discrimination. It’s just horrifying for me,” Corsi said, stressing the importance of embedding truth and reconciliation in their program. “I support the students who work on our team to know better so they can do better. So they can treat people with care and love and compassion and understanding.”
The finalization of the three-day event took place at OLARA from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Sept. 25. The people attending were able to ask Thomas questions and also share reflections on what the past two days meant for them and their path to reconciliation.
“Reconciliation looks different for everyone,” Pham said. “As an international student, I have the fear that I’m leading this event, but I don’t have an indigenous background. You don’t have to have an indigenous background to take part in reconciliation.”
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada is commemorated on Sept. 30 to honour the children who were taken from their homes and didn’t return, as well as the survivors of residential schools. Orange Shirt Day also takes place on Sept. 30 to raise awareness about the long-lasting effects of residential schools in terms of loss of culture, freedom and self-esteem.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽