Inclusion Infusions: A Powerful Week

Posted on Friday, October 4th, 2019

This week saw a variety of important celebrations for our community. This week’s blog will let you know a bit about the significance of each event, and share some words from Leadership for you to reflect on.

Monday September 30th is Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project where, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl. The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

September 30^th was also the launch of Algonquin College’s very own Campus Pride Week. This week was selected to maximize student involvement and inclusion. June is recognized internationally as Pride Month to coincide with the Stonewall riots; Pride in Ottawa is in late August because of the We Demand protest, which took place on August 28 1971.

Tuesday October 1st marked the start of Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM). This is an annual awareness campaign that takes place each October. The purpose of Disability Employment Awareness Month is to promote employment inclusion for people with disabilities and celebrate the many and varied contributions of workers with disabilities.

Each year on October 4^th communities across Canada come together to honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG). As we do so, we remember the lives of sisters, daughters, mothers and grandmothers tragically taken from us. This vigil is known as ‘Sisters In Spirit’. Here at AC, Project Lighthouse and the Mamideoswin hosted an event on October 3rd.

I’d invite you to take a moment and reflect on the word’s Diane McCutcheon, Vice-President Human Resources shared to a group of staff and students on Monday:

Thank you, everyone, for coming outside to join us as we raise the flag to signify the start of Algonquin College’s Pride Week. As many of you know, each colour on the rainbow flag has a different meaning: red means life, yellow means sunshine, green means nature, blue means harmony, and purple means spirit – and orange means healing. That is the colour I’d like to bring our minds to. Today, September 30^th, is also Orange Shirt Day. This is also a day to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. Oppression is experienced uniquely by each individual and group with its own context, but the work required to heal is found in our common humanity. Whether you are wearing an orange shirt, or flying your rainbow flag, Algonquin College recognizes the important place our institution and our people can play in the healing process.

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