The Government of Canada recently passed legislation to make September 30 a federal statutory holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
United Way of Lethbridge & South Western Alberta will join the City of Lethbridge, and many organizations and community partners across Canada in observing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. As such, the United Way office will be closed on September 30, 2021.
We recognize the importance of this day, which is also recognized as Orange Shirt Day, to reflect on the history and ongoing impacts of Residential Schools, to honour the children who didn’t come home, and to deepen our understanding and commitment to Truth and Reconciliation going forward. We encourage our colleagues and members of our community to do so in a way that is meaningful to them, for example by quiet reflection, exploring learning opportunities, attending a community event, or donating to an Indigenous-led organization.
LINKS:
City of Lethbridge commitments to Truth and Reconciliation: https://www.lethbridge.ca/City-Government/strategic-initiatives/Pages/Indigenous-Relations.aspx
Orange Shirt Day: https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
University of Alberta’s free 12-week Indigenous Canada course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/about/history-of-the-trc/trc-website/
The land on which we gather is Treaty 7 territory and the traditional territory of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Nakoda (Stoney), and Tsuut’ina (Sarcee) nations. We honour the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people, past, present and future. We acknowledge the work done by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and recognize our responsibility in prioritizing reconciliation in the work we do and the decisions we make. For those of us who are settlers to this land, and those who arrived here involuntarily, we recognize that we all have a role in providing respectful, safe communities for all to belong to.