Students, Faculty, and staff gathered together at Agnes Benedickson Field to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The event, hosted on Sept. 30 at 1:00 p.m. and organized by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, invited students and staff to reflect on the legacy of colonialism and renew commitments to reconciliation within the Queen’s community. Five speeches were given to the audience of roughly 100 attendees before the attention was brought to the fire.
The Sacred Fire was lit to encourage healing and community gathering as a way to honour residential school survivors and remember the thousands of children who never returned home.
Speeches from student leaders and university officials offered personal reflections and institutional perspectives.
“This day holds deep significance,” AMS President Jana Amer said during her speech. “It’s a time to reflect on the ongoing impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples and their communities, both here at Queen’s and across Turtle Island.”
Amer shared a story about a starfish stranded on shore, explaining how helping one starfish back into the water might seem like a small act amid hundreds trying to survive. However, she used this as a metaphor to illustrate that change doesn’t require fixing everything at once. Each action contributes to collective progress.
She recounted her journey as an ally and immigrant, noting the importance of learning. She encouraged attendees to embrace imperfection and focus on growth. “Messing up isn’t the end of the world. But silence is,” she said.
Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives) Lisa Maracle, who joined Queen’s in January 2025, highlighted the progress and challenges faced by the University in her speech.
“There’s still so much work to do,” she said. “Sept. 30 brings to light many feelings and emotions,” she said in her speech. “Reconciliation, decolonization, and Indigenization is work that cannot be done alone by the Indigenous staff, faculty, and students here at Queen’s. Reconciliation work is your work to underpin, investigate, and create the change that needs to happen,” she added.
Shelagh Rogers, the 16th Chancellor of Queen’s, spoke about the sense of community. “What I’m looking at right now fills me with such pride in this university,” she said. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Additionally, student attendees emphasized the importance of being present and learning. “I’m here to learn and it’s not Indigenous Peoples’ job to educate me, it’s my job to educate myself,” Alexia Troost, ArtSci ’27, said during an interview with The Journal. “What they [Amer] said about the starfish was so true. I can’t do anything , but I can come and learn and listen.”
Taylor Tyczka, ArtSci ’25, expressed the same feelings during her interview with The Journal. “This is what today’s all about. It’s like doing our part.”
The University suspended all academic activities for the day, encouraged wearing orange shirts and provided resources for learning about Indigenous histories and reconciliation.
Tags
Indigenous history, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, NDTR, University
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