NEWS & EVENTS | September 28, 2022
A Week of Activities Aims to Move Forward in Reconciliation
USB dome and North facade to be illuminated in orange on September 30.
Prior to Orange Shirt Day, which will take place on Friday, September 30, Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) was launching this past Monday a week of activities to contribute to the National Truth and Reconciliation Centre’s ongoing efforts.
Orange, the colour of caring
To mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, USB will be closed and all classes will be cancelled. In addition, we will once again join in the initiative of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, located at the University of Manitoba. The dome and main entrance will be lit up in orange at night to honour the Indigenous children sent to residential schools in Canada.
For the second year, Les Rouges will be organizing a sale of orange t-shirts for National Truth and Reconciliation Week. The team’s logo, reworked by a Métis graphic designer to give it a beaded appearance, will be printed on these shirts. All proceeds will be donated to the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sports Achievement Centre (WASAC).
To honour the Indigenous children who went missing from or who survived Indigenous residential schools as well as their families, the university community is strongly encouraged to wear an orange shirt on September 29.
Members of the USB’s sports teams, staff, faculty and students are invited to gather in front of the main university building at 11 a.m. to mark the occasion together.
A Network of Elders is born
The Elders’ Network, an initiative that will offer the university community direct access to the wisdom of Métis Elders, was officially inaugurated in the USB art gallery. The exposition is an opportunity for the university community to get to know the Elders. From September 26 to 29, the Gallery will introduce each Elder by way of a photo, a quote and an artifact that represents their Métis identity.
The Elders will also be available from noon to 1 p.m. during National Truth and Reconciliation Week at a special table in the student centre (Centre étudiant Étienne-Gaboury). Thereafter it will be possible to contact them by submitting an online request at ustboniface.ca/aines.
A total of 5 people make up the Elder’s Network, who will be generously giving of their time on campus throughout the academic year to guide USB’s university community in their reflection in regard to reconciliation.
The Network includes such well-known figures as Paulette Duguay, Dolorès Gosselin, Paul Desrosiers and David Dandeneau.
Launching the Reconciliation Fund
To support its reconciliation and Indigenous education efforts at the university, USB is proud to launch the Reconciliation Fund. Given USB’s historical, community and minority position as an institution that has welcomed Métis students from its humble beginnings, reconciliation and Indigenous education holds a very unique meaning at the university.
With an initial anonymous donation of $25,000 to launch the Fund, it is hoped that it will reach $75,000 by the end of the year. All donations up to $25,000 will be matched by USB and will be used to support initiatives to further our journey towards reconciliation.
Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) respectfully and sincerely continues to favour dialogue and learning as important means to further Francophone/Indigenous reconciliation.
*In Indigenous communities, the title of Elder is reserved for those who, over the course of their lives, have acquired profound knowledge of ceremonies, traditional teachings and cultural practices – and the wisdom to share this knowledge with others.