The Municipality of Chatham-Kent got a head start recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Dozens were on hand at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre on Thursday for the raising of the Survivors' Flag. The Survivors’ Flag is an expression of remembrance, meant to honour residential school survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada.
Each year on September 30, Canada marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day that honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, along with their families and communities.
Naomi Wilson with the Chatham-Kent Reconcili-ACTION Committee told CK News Today that progress is being made, but warns 150 years of misunderstanding and heartache won't fade overnight.
"We have 150 years of misunderstandings and policies of the government and of churches and it's going to take us at least 75 more years to get that understanding back, but I think we're going a little faster than that," said Wilson. "I'm thinking by two or three generations, we're going to have it back. We're going to have true reconciliation and true understanding."
Wilson said she feels good going into this year's holiday because she sees Chatham-Kent embracing the journey with the Indigenous community and better understanding their plight.
Wilson reminds everyone that Truth and Reconciliation can be celebrated year round and not just on September 30.
