The fourth annual Walk for Truth and Reconciliation is returning to the Semiahmoo Peninsula to mark the national day to honour the children who never returned home from and those who survived residential schools.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is marked each year on Sept. 30 across Canada. Officially declared in 2021, the day is to recognize Canada's dark legacy of government-run residential schools and remember those who survived the system and those who never returned home.
In White Rock, the day will be marked with its annual walk, hosted by the Semiahmoo First Nation in partnership with the city.
“The Walk for Truth and Reconciliation is a step towards understanding and healing within our community,” Mayor Megan Knight said in a press release.
“I am honoured to stand alongside the Semiahmoo First Nation and all participants as we collectively ask ourselves, 'Why Reconciliation Now?' Together, we are committed to forging a path of mutual respect and shared growth.”
On the day, all individuals are encouraged to wear orange shirts to represent the sentiment 'Every Child Matters' to raise awareness about the legacy of residential schools.
The government-sponsored, religious system stripped Indigenous children from their families in an effort to assimilate them to Euro-Canadian ideals and ways of living. Through the process, the children were not allowed to express their cultures through hair, clothing or language, and many children were abused physically and sexually at the hands of residential school staff.
A keynote speaker for the Semiahmoo event will be Grand Chief Steven Point from the Sto:lo Tribal Council, with music shared by Indigenous artists and an artist market. Food will also be provided to all in attendance to make the event low-barrier, the press release notes.
On Monday, Sept. 30, the city and First Nation event will be held at Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles Memorial Plaza at East Beach at 11 a.m. A walk down to Semiahmoo Park will commence with all who are able to participate, with a planned ending for 2 p.m.
