Kick off to Orange Shirt Day held in Steinbach

Hundreds of people showed up to the Southeast kick off to Orange Shirt Day, a truth and reconciliation journey hosted in Steinbach on Sept. 19.

The Indigenous led and organized event featured a memorial honour walk, vendor market, speeches by Elders Lorraine Daniels and Betty Ross and cultural entertainment from the Mason Hoop Dancers, J.C. Campbell, United Thunder, Blazing Buffalo and more.

Ginger Johnson and Russell Mason organized the event.

Mason said he thought the event was wonderful and achieved their goals for the first time hosting it.

“We really wanted to have an event to show the province that here in southeastern Manitoba we care about reconciliation,” he said.

An event like this is an important part of reconciliation but Mason recognizes it’s not all that needs to be done.

“This (residential schools) happened for generations and it’s still going to take generations to continue this path towards reconciliation,” he said.

Manitoba was home to 15 residential schools, while Canada had 139.

Mason recognized the emotion that is part of residential school survivors telling their stories, and for people listening.

“Sometimes it’s hard to hear the truth but reconciliation happens when we are open to hearing it and doing our best,” he said. “We can’t change what has happened in the past, but we are making a difference by our actions now. What we do now shapes where we are going tomorrow.”

While this event was about remembering and honouring those who survived residential schools and the 60s Scoop, Mason said all cultures are important.

“The whole idea is to understand that we all have culture, and we all have experiences, and I think we have to embrace that,” he said. “It doesn’t mean just embrace Indigenous culture, it means embrace all of our cultures. It’s meant to be shared. It’s meant to be out there.”

Mason was pleased to a see a crowd made up of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

“I would really like to thank the community for being so receptive, for being so welcoming, so ready to be at the event,” he said. “To see that number of students and community members walk together with elders and all the different nationalities walking together in orange shirts, it just showed that solidarity.”

“That was just amazing and such a beautiful sight to see,” he added.