September 30th, 2021 marks the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, formerly known as Orange Shirt Day. This is a day for all Canadians to reflect upon our cruel history of forcibly removing Indigenous children from their homes to attend Indian Residential Schools and Indian Day Schools, for the purpose of assimilation. It’s a somber day to honour victims and survivors of the horrific crimes committed in the Residential School system in what is now called Canada, leading to the recent recovery of over 6,000 bodies of stolen Indigenous children. The federal government and provincial governments have both recognized this day as a statutory holiday. Non-Indigenous Canadians are being encouraged to spend time educating themselves about our colonial history and reflecting on how Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples can take action toward reconciliation and decolonization. It’s important to recognize how much further we have to go as a society. Just one example is how P.E.I. is only 1 of 3 provinces that has formally acknowledged this day as a provincial holiday. One way that we at The Kings Playhouse are taking action is by keeping our doors open on September 30th and encouraging members of our community to attend Settle Down, Settlers! a (he)art exhibition by two-spirit, non-binary, Inuk artist, Julie Bull. The exhibition runs from Tomorrow, September 29th until November 6th, 2021. Take a journey through their works of art and poetry, grab some free resources, and take the time to deeply reflect. Slow down. Pay attention. Actions speak louder than words.More info about this event, Orange Shirt Day, the Truth and Reconcilliation Comission’s Calls To Action, and suggested ways to recognize the day can be found here: https://linktr.ee/kingsplayhouse

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