{"id":35128,"date":"2024-09-26T18:03:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T22:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=35128"},"modified":"2024-09-26T18:03:12","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T22:03:12","slug":"truth-reconciliation-day-to-be-marked-monday-at-aurora-town-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/truth-reconciliation-day-to-be-marked-monday-at-aurora-town-square\/","title":{"rendered":"Truth & Reconciliation Day to be marked Monday at Aurora Town Square"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation will be marked with several events in Aurora this Monday, September 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poignant occasion, which is also Orange Shirt Day, will see several initiatives unfold hosted by the Town of Aurora, the Aurora Public Library and the Aurora Cultural Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observances will begin at Aurora Town Square at 5.30 p.m. with a gathering led by Anishinaabe Grandmother Kim Wheatley, Ancestral Knowledge Keeper Raiden Levesque and Elder Pat Floody, and featuring a sacred fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 7.30, events will move indoors as the Aurora Cultural Centre presents A Concert for Truth & Reconciliation in the new Performance Hall, hosted by Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux and featuring Zeegwon Shilling, Jeff Monague a.k.a. Myiingan Minanaakwhe, and the Evan Redsky Band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional programs will be offered by the Aurora Public Library both preceding and on the day itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Saturday, September 28, at 1 p.m. at the Aurora Town Square Performance Hall, the Library (APL) will host a screening of the documentary WaaPaKe, followed by a discussion. On the day itself, virtual screenings will be offered of the film Wilfrid Buck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor generations, the suffering of residential school Survivors has radiated outward, impacting Indigenous families and communities,\u201d says the APL, which has undertaken a year-long program, Indigenous Teachings, to shine a light on Indigenous authors, filmmakers and much more. \u201cDr. Jules Arita Koostachin\u2019s deeply personal documentary moves beyond intergenerational trauma, with an invitation to unravel the tangled threads of silence and unite in collective freedom and power. This documentary is part of a broader initiative to explore and address the lasting impacts of residential schools on Indigenous communities\u200b. Additionally, the evening will feature a film discussion following the screening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLisa Jackson\u2019s portrait of Cree Elder Wilfred Buck moves between earth and sky, past and present, bringing to life ancient teachings of Indigenous astronomy and cosmology to tell a story that spans generations. Adapted from Buck\u2019s rollicking memoir, \u2018I Have Lived Four Lives\u2019, the film weaves together stories from his life, including his harrowing young years of displacement and addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the APL team worked to finalize details on the program, they shared the excitement of having these learning opportunities so close to home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat respect when you sit with elders, you\u2019re not asking questions \u2013 you should have your mind free and empty, being present to listen and absorb,\u201d says APL\u2019s Nelia Pacheco of the documentary programs. \u201cIf you come in with a full mind, you\u2019re not absorbing it\u2026both films were, to me, about being present. It\u2019s all about what\u2019s happening at this point in time and being accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about accountability and if we don\u2019t own up to it, we can\u2019t heal and move on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jodi Marr, APL\u2019s Acting CEO, says the Indigenous Teachings program has been a success in spurring a conversation, whether it\u2019s watching a documentary or while wrapping a book as part of the Canadian Library Project, which aims to shine a light on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a film to watch, people are feeling like there\u2019s something they can do and learn from and give back with,\u201d says Marr. \u201cIt\u2019s been really nice to connect in a more thoughtful way with Truth & Reconciliation and start to consider those things as an organization as well with our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelley Ware, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Aurora, agrees there is \u201cso much to learn and listen about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the 5.30 portion of the Truth & Reconciliation Gathering, it\u2019s really going to be focusing on the Truth \u2013 the truths that are hard to hear, the truths that are hard to wrap your head around, which is important with the work that we all need to do in terms of taking meaningful steps towards reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have been lucky to have this tri-partnership (with the APL and Cultural Centre) all focused on the same objective and the same goal, which is to create a space where everyone feels welcome, everyone knows they are invited and welcome to attend with some key elements that will help us learn more while we listen \u2013 and to be able to process, reflect, and be able to continue that movement forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on this week\u2019s observances, visit aurora.ca\/truthandreconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

National Day for Truth & Reconciliation will be marked with several events in Aurora this Monday, September 30. The poignant occasion, which is also Orange Shirt Day, will see several initiatives unfold hosted by the Town of Aurora, the Aurora Public Library and the Aurora Cultural Centre. Observances will begin at Aurora Town Square at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-98A","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-14 09:06:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35128\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}