The Indigenous Friendship Society of Revelstoke (IFSR) will host an Every Child Matters March on Saturday (Sept. 30), coinciding with Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The IFSR is a non-profit community organization dedicated to raising public awareness and increasing the knowledge of Indigenous people around Revelstoke.
On Saturday, the society will host an Every Child Matters March, starting at noon at the Revelstoke Credit Union parking lot.
Sept. 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, which is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that reinforces the principle that ‘Every Child Matters.’ The orange shirt is a symbol of the systematic destruction of Indigenous culture, freedom, and identity caused by the residential school system.
The march falls on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which became a federal statutory day in 2021, recognizing the historical and ongoing damage of the Canadian residential school system.
The day is meant to give Canadians a chance to pause and acknowledge the children who never came home, and the survivors of residential schools. Locals looking to take part in the march should meet at the Revelstoke Credit Union parking lot at 11:40 a.m. The march will depart from the parking lot at noon and will head to Centennial Park.
The march will conclude at the Worker’s Memorial, where attendees are invited to share a meal.
The IFSR asked that attendees bring their own food to share and to have their own cutlery, dishes, chairs and blankets.
At 2:15 p.m. a drum circle will commence.
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