UMEI honours Truth and Reconciliation Day

LEAMINGTON — On September 30, the nation came together and observed the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Caldwell First Nation honoured this day by organizing a walk, opened to all community members, to take steps to honour and remember the lives and spirits of those who attended Indian Residential Schools.

Mrs. Wiens and Mrs. Hudders of UMEI Christian High School took the time in daily chapels to prepare the school community for that day. Students began their learning with a land acknowledgment, then discussed the heartbreaking reality of the Residential School system and recognized that reconciliation goes hand in hand with truth.

The students placed orange flags around the school sign while listening to a reading of a poem by Rebecca Thomas titled ‘What Are Their Names’.

On Thursday, September 30, the staff and students joined Caldwell First Nation in their walk through the town of Leamington to let them know that UMEI stands with them in support of every child matters.

“We see the ongoing grief for the children that were taken from their homes and never returned,” said a release from the school. “We see the generational trauma of the families and communities affected by Residential School. We believe in our Indigenous neighbours and their stories. We see their pain and need for healing. We are listening. We are learning. We are pursuing the truth. We are committed to doing better.”