Truth and Reconciliation Week at TAB

Written by: Brooke Smithson, Vanessa Vamvakaris 

Photos by: Blakelock’s Photography Team 

Edited by: Ava Puhlmann

From September 24th to 30th, Blakelock participated in Truth and Reconciliation Week. Throughout the span of several days, TAB hosted a series of activities and events in order to bring awareness to the matter, and share information among the school community. Students, teachers and various community members all pitched in to bring this week to life. 

Truth and reconciliation is the acknowledgement of how Indigenous peoples have been treated by European settlers and the Canadian government since the colonization of Canada. Acknowledging this day allows people to reconcile what was done to Indigenous peoples of Canada, and show our understanding of the injustices and tragedies that occurred. 

This week was planned by Blakelock’s Truth and Reconciliation Team, which meets on Fridays every week to create opportunities to learn throughout the year based on the Truth and Reconciliation 94 calls to action. For this week, the team worked together to figure out a way to give the most information through events and activities. The events and planning turned out to be a huge success, and many students at Blakelock showed their support by attending the activities to inform themselves on Canada’s hidden past.

Throughout the week, different events were hosted, and students had the opportunity to attend and learn about Indigenous stories, concerns and history. The week started with a display of the film We are the Children, on Monday and Tuesday at lunch, and the film Secret Path on Wednesday. Both films addressed the situation of residential schools and the impact on students. 

On Thursday a nature walk was held in addition to a land acknowledgement in TAB’s outdoor classroom. The Truth and Reconciliation Club (TRC) gathered students and teachers to walk Blakelock’s surrounding campus, experience local nature, and acknowledge the land where Blakelock currently stands today. 

On Friday, the school participated in a gallery walk which was designed to commemorate the residential school experience, and to honor the healing journey being taken by the survivors as well as their families. The gallery showed horrifying images, and gave explanations into what actually happened at residential schools, shedding light on the truth which needs to be reconciled.

All of these events worked towards the commitment to the ongoing process of truth and reconciliation. They allowed students and staff to inform themselves and fully understand the situation of cultural genocide that happened in Canada. In turn, this helps us as a country reconcile what was done to Indigenous peoples, who were treated inhumanely throughout Canada’s dark history.

Our vice principal Kerry Sagar was a key support of the week's events and is also a leading member of the Truth and Reconciliation team. She couldn’t be more excited about next year's Truth and Reconciliation week and when asked how she would like to see this week progress in the coming years at Blakelock, she explained “I would like to see Orange shirt day not just be a one day thing, but to be embedded into our learning throughout the year.”

With the success of this week, we hope that Truth and Reconciliation will become a topic that we discuss everyday to inform ourselves on the matter, while celebrating Indigenous culture. Blakelock is helping to continue our long journey on the path of reconciliation, and if we continue to have events like this, we can celebrate and appreciate the beautiful culture created by the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

For more information regarding Truth and Reconciliation in Canada visit: 

https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525