This past Thursday, September 30th 2021, was recognized as the first National Truth and Reconciliation Day within Canada. Originally celebrated as Orange Shirt Day, the new nationally recognized holiday has been a day to stand in respect and remembrance of Indigenous groups, specifically, Indigenous children and families affected by residential schools. "Every child matters", the phrase echoes through the news and social media each year on this day.

The national holiday was proposed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and was a holiday some organizations, school boards, and businesses chose to recognize by closing down or cancelling class. Others opted to stay open or remain in classes despite the debate or public backlash some may have received. What is important to understand about this national holiday is it has been proposed for years by many Indigenous people themselves. In other words, the group closest to the issue and most impacted by colonization and residential schools have fought for this day to be put in place.

As someone who is non-Indigenous but who views myself as a supporter of Indigenous causes, I understand the importance of the recognition of this day, and am grateful to attend a school that takes reconciliation seriously. However, as a student and future educator, I found myself questioning if this newfound free time on September 30th was truly being put to good use and if efforts were genuinely being put forward to think about what reconciliation really means. From my few years studying Indigenous issues and reconciliation, I have come to understand that true change and understanding comes from the discomfort of knowing and dissecting Indigenous stories surrounding residential schools, abuse, and oppression. What I struggle with is knowing that September 30th is not the only day we can teach reconciliation or the struggles of residential schools, but it is the day that has been set specifically to focus on these issues as a nation. I can't help but wonder, if the next generations are not sitting in classrooms or universities, being exposed to discussions on these issues and the stories of Indigenous peoples on the day that it set aside for such things, then are we really working towards reconciliation? Of course, as someone who sees this issue through a western lens and as someone who values academia, I would suggest maybe not.

Thomas King places a heavy emphasis on sharing stories; he says that stories are all we are. The more we share Indigenous stories, the more empathy we build, the more deeply rooted in the Canadian present the stories become, the more we can actively work towards reconciling. At the end of each of his stories, King leaves the reader with something along the lines of, "Take [this story], for example. It's yours. Do with it what you will. Make it the topic of a discussion group at a scholarly conference. Put it on the web. Forget it. But don't say in the years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You've heard it now" (p.60).

My hope for National Truth and Reconciliation Day, whether in schools, at work, or at home, is that we can share this nation's stories. They're ours. We can do with them what we will. Listen. Create change. Remember. At least that way, we can't say we "just didn't know". We've heard them now.

Read more on Canada's National Truth and Reconciliation Day here.