Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
Lighthouse Festival acknowledges that Lighthouse is established on land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for millennia. We are grateful to be able to live, work and create on the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation as well as the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. Recognizing the important contributions of Indigenous peoples is consistent with our commitment to making the promise of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities.
Today, Lighthouse Festival staff honours the strength and bravery of residential school survivors and remembers the children that never returned. Our hearts are heavy but we will fight for a better tomorrow. Every Child Matters.