SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Tribal Council has initiated a campaign called #ActOnReconciliation following the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in September last year.
The #ActOnReconciliation campaign is intended to harness the momentum of NDTR and Orange Shirt Day (Sept. 30) and keep Reconciliation in everyone’s mind all year long.
The campaign calls for action and awareness on the last Friday of each month in 2022 and it coincides with a time when the devastating discoveries of unmarked graves at former residential schools keep coming.
Last week, another 54 potential unmarked residential school gravesites were located 350 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon on Keeseekoose First Nation outside Kamsack.
The gravesites were at the former location of the Fort Pelly and St. Philip’s residential schools.
The City of Saskatoon is supporting the #ActOnReconciliation campaign by suggesting a specific Reconciliation action for each month.
As well, to further heighten awareness, the city will apply an orange filter to their social media accounts and light the following civic facilities in orange: City Hall, SaskTel Centre and the Prairie Wind art installation outside the Remai Modern.
#ActOnReconciliation — February Action
On Friday, Feb. 25, demonstrate your commitment to Reconciliation by:
- Wearing your #EveryChildMatters shirt or any other orange shirt.
- Taking a step towards becoming an Indigenous A-L-L-Y by posting this Indigenous Ally Poster in spaces where discussions take place about work and community. Alternately, choose another reconciliation action.
- Using the hashtag #ActOnReconciliation, share the action you’re taking on social media.
To establish and maintain a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that “there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes and action to change behaviour.”
The City has been actively engaged — as a municipality, co-chair of Reconciliation Saskatoon and through other community partnerships — in efforts to help raise awareness about Reconciliation and in providing opportunities to participate.
Learn more at saskatoon.ca/indigenous.
