Brock University joined communities across the country in marking the fifth observance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
The day began with a capacity crowd of Brock faculty and staff participating in a panel discussion in Pond Inlet. Moderated by Robyn Bourgeois, Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, the event reflected on the meaningful contributions of University employees to advance reconciliation and decolonization on campus.
"You could have been anywhere today, and you chose to be here," Bourgeois told attendees. "This is how we start to change the world, one step at a time."
That afternoon, more than 120 members of the Brock community wearing orange shirts gathered as a show of solidarity for survivors of the residential school system, their families and those who never returned home.
"This is a day that means a lot to me and to our Indigenous colleagues because very few of us are more than two generations removed from the residential school system," Bourgeois said. "While I think about how much this system has stolen from my family, today is not only a day to remember what is gone and what is lost. It's a day to remember what remains, what is thriving and how incredible Indigenous people and Indigenous ways of knowing and being are."
The day concluded with a range of family-friendly programming and a free community game between Brock's men's lacrosse team and the Toronto Varsity Blues. A four-part podcast collaboration featuring Brock students and faculty was also launched on Sept. 30, exploring ways to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action in sport.
Sept. 30 marked the culmination of a month of programming hosted by units across the University.
Hadiya'dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre Director Cindy Biancaniello says the support was "both meaningful and encouraging."
"We are deeply grateful to be part of a community at Brock that understands and embraces this truth," she says. "Our events, held in recognition of reconciliation, have been well attended, and it's clear that many in our community are engaging with this work in thoughtful and respectful ways."
