Photos by Jacqueline Ronson/The Discourse
A large crowd gathered on Monday, Oct. 2 on Cowichan Tribes land and walked through downtown Duncan in the third annual Every Child Matters March, in memory of the children who never made it home from residential “schools.” The walk took place on the holiday Monday following the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
Despite the rain, the gathering easily surpassed a thousand people, as a conservative estimate.
Some caught a ride in a large canoe towed by a truck and trailer. The Hul’qumi’num words on the canoe translate to “sacred cedar place.”
The walkers passed a recently completed mural by Quw’utsun artist Charlene Johnny. The art includes an orange sun with tears on its face. It is the largest piece of public art in Duncan.
Staff at the Arbutus Cafe wore orange and stood outside as the marchers passed.
The first Every Child Matters took place in Cowichan in 2021, a few months after Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced that ground-penetrating radar had identified 215 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site. This announcement sparked a national conversation around the history and legacy of Canada’s residential “school” system.
An orange “Every Child Matters” flag adorned Duncan City Hall.
After marching through the streets of Duncan, the crowd returned to Cowichan Tribes’ Si’em Lelum soccer fields to hear speeches, songs and prayers.
In this photo, the crowd gathers behind a soccer net with orange netting.
Muriel Peter sold handmade earrings and pins, beaded in orange.
This day is about taking action, said organizer Audrey George. “It is more than just buying the orange shirt.” It is about breaking cycles and making a better world for the children and grandchildren of the future.
The large crowd included contingents from several local schools. Audrey named the schools who said they would come, and asked them to cheer. The group from Brentwood College School was particularly large and loud, and delighted the crowd with their enthusiasm.
Some young people amused themselves with a game of soccer on the far end of the field.
“Every Child Matters” is the slogan for Orange Shirt Day, and it serves as a reminder that all children deserve to be safe and supported at school, and everywhere. Orange Shirt Day is the legacy of a 2013 reunion event in Williams Lake B.C., commemorating the impact of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School. Leading up to that event, Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told a story about how her new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken for her when she arrived at the “school.”
Today, the orange shirt is a symbol that honours and remembers the children who attended residential “schools,” including those who never made it home.
In 2012, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its 94 Calls to Action, including that the federal government establish a “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
Nearly a decade later, in 2021, the Government of Canada declared that September 30 would mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, coinciding with Orange Shirt Day.
