What Victoria College did for this day and how they are honouring Indigenous people on campus
In honour of the Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Victoria College hosted the Ninth Annual Campus (Re)conciliations Conference on Indigenous Issues in Higher Education. In previous years, the college had the opportunity to invite Phyllis Webstad as a keynote speaker. According to Vic College Life on Instagram, Webstad was dressed in an orange shirt that was taken away on her first day of residential school. Today, the orange shirt represents the generational stripping of culture, freedom, and self-esteem from the Indigenous community. Webstad is now the founder and ambassador of the Orange Shirt Society. September 30 is not just known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, but also Orange Shirt Day. Other events at Victoria College included an Orange Shirt Day gathering in Wymilwood Lounge and a commemoration at Hart House.
Victoria University President Rhonda McEwen released a video on September 30 in honour of Truth and Reconciliation. She asked her audience to reflect on how they see themselves on this particular day. What can we do to understand our complex relationships with Indigenous Peoples?
In the foyer of Old Vic, an art project was displayed called the “Reflection on Art and History at Victoria College.” President McEwen explained that “Indigenous and Black students were invited to take over the space where the portraits of former presidents are displayed to spark dialogue on how we present our story.” The project came to be with the help of the college’s Indigenous Advisory Circle, which works to decolonize Victoria College’s archives in collaboration with librarians.
Moreover, students would have noticed fencing and tree barriers around Emmanuel College. The college, in consultation with Indigenous advisers and various stakeholders, has invested in the construction of an Indigenous Healing Garden. Expected to be completed by the spring of 2025, the sanctuary will serve as a space for rest, surrounded by Indigenous cultural plants like sage, sweet grass, cedar, tobacco, and more. These native plants also represent Vic U’s strategic framework to intensify sustainability.
For Emmanuel College Principal HyeRan Kim-Cragg, this is a “dream come true.” She hopes that the garden will be integrated into Emmanuel College’s academic curriculum, as a place where students can learn about Indigenous cultures and their relationship to the land. This supports Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls for theological schools to include Indigenous spirituality in their programs.
Overall, President McEwen acknowledges that “there is still so much work to be done” at Victoria College that goes beyond a day of recognition or a garden of reconciliation. She emphasizes that this work should be done together in the spirit of Wiidokdaadwin, collaboration, and community.
