Word Vancouver Statement on Residential Schools and Reconciliation

For some time the Word Vancouver channels have been silent as we have sought to find the words. We are witness to the pain of the Indigenous community as the remains of hundreds of children have been confirmed to be buried at residential schools sites across the country. We are also aware this is just the beginning and this is a process of uncovering that will take place over time as the sites of more than one hundred residential schools are examined.

We intended to host a celebration for Indigenous Peoples Day this year but made the decision to instead share a video compilation of readers sharing their work in July to leave space for the events that needed to happen within Indigenous communities on a day that was both celebratory and mournful under the circumstances.

Normally when we host an event we solicit donations that support our programming. As part of the sharing of this work we will be providing ideas on ways you can support the Indigenous community in this time of great loss. Please stay tuned for this programming and know that we are looking at ways to sustain our allyship in the coming years because we acknowledge that making one statement on social media just isn’t reflective of the kind of commitment we want to make. We are actively consulting on ways to contribute in a meaningful way.

We acknowledge that our festival takes place on the unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-waututh people and that in its online format our events reach people all over Turtle Island. The Honourable Murray Sinclair says that education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it. In that spirit we look to offer programming that supports Reconciliation. We wish to recognize the hard work of our staff, contractors and volunteers who have supported our festival during this difficult time and hold in our hearts everyone within the Word community who is struggling.

For now, we are sharing the work of our Indigenous Curator, Molly Cross-Blanchard, that she wrote about cancelling Canada Day and are grateful for the counsel she provides our board. Our marketing director, Alison Tedford, also wrote on the topic from an Indigenous parent perspective. Finally, our board member David Geary has recommended the University of Alberta's Indigenous Canada course if you wish to learn more about Indigenous issues.