Editors Note: apologizes for not getting this story up sooner
Cobourg honoured National Truth and Reconciliation day on Friday, September 30, 2022.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.
Ceremonies across Canada were held on Friday to honour the children and for Canadians to stand up and say, “we should do better.”
Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
It is also 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.
At the Victoria Park bandshell Jonathan Maracle who is the founder of Broken Walls took to the stage.
Local churches and Christian organizations held a public gathering at 1 p.m. in honour of National Truth and Reconciliation day. Maracle has spent nearly 30 years building bridges across Canada and beyond through his song writing.