Thousands of people in orange shirts flocked to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Thursday in Winnipeg to honour residential school survivors and the children lost to them.
Leading that march was seven-year-old Tatum Mentuck.
“My grandpa was in residential and I’m walking for him and for all the kids who didn’t make it home,” said Tatum.
The trail of orange shirts made their way down Portage Ave. and ended at St. John’s Park, with powwows going all day.
Lori Abraham is the Indigenous program director at 1justcity – a drop-in centre for disenfranchised people.
Abraham helped organized transportation for those people yesterday and said she was moved to tears by all the people.
“Being a witness for what is happening here today has moved me to understand that our community and our nation is moving forward in compassion and understanding,” said Abraham.
Throughout the day, many survivors told their stories.
“This is just part of a bigger picture of what we’ve lost,” said Marcel French, a ‘60s Scoop survivor.
French says he hopes the sea of orange shirts and momentum from National Day for Truth and Reconciliation continues.
“My hope is that it doesn’t end after today,” he said. “And when they leave here, they can remember in the following days and weeks.
