UCalgary’s memorial to Truth and Reconciliation lights up the night sky on main campus Sept. 27 - 30

From Sept. 27 to 30, the bright tangerine colour of Orange Shirt Day will light up the University of Calgary with the words Every Child Matters. The light tribute has returned as part of UCalgary’s pledge to Truth and Reconciliation. The projections will appear on the western face of the Schulich School of Engineering building, as well as on the south side of the Education Tower. 

The installation, which was introduced in 2021, serves as a memorial to residential school survivors and those who never returned home. The phrase Every Child Matters speaks to the pain of assimilation experienced by Indigenous children under the residential school system. The projections are intended to spark reflection and discussion and urge viewers to remember all the children once forgotten. 

Orange Shirt Day events 

The university will be closed for classes on Sept. 30 to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, which was officially proclaimed federally in 2021 and coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which was established in 2013. However, some events will still be taking place on campus, as well as at the Calgary Public Library’s central location downtown.

Orange shirts can be purchased at the UCalgary Bookstore. All proceeds from shirt sales will be donated to the Orange Shirt Society. For more information, please visit UCalgary’s Community Engagement page.  

Understanding the Truth webinar 

The Indigenous Social Work Circle and Lodge in the Faculty of Social Work invites you to join Métis/Cree Elder Kerrie Moore, BSW’03, MSW’04, as she guides us on a learning journey of healing through her Model of Change. 

Sept. 29, 12 – 1:30 p.m., online 
Register here

Panel discussion 

Join UCalgary’s Office of Indigenous Engagement, in partnership with Calgary Public Library, for a panel discussion revisiting the final report on Truth and Reconciliation in light of the discovery of unmarked graves, the papal visit and the path forward. 

Sept. 30, 12 – 1:30 p.m., Rosza Centre, UCalgary, and online   
Register here

Nickle Galleries tours 

Visit the Nickle Galleries for special tours of Indigenous art, such as Michele Hardy’s Prairie Interlace: Weaving, Modernisms and the Expanded Frame.

Sept. 30, 10:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. (concurrent 30-minute tours), Nickle Galleries, Taylor Family Digital Library 
Register here

Night Raiders screening 

A screening of Cree-Métis filmmaker Danis Goulet’s sci-fi film, Night Raiders, will take place at the Calgary Central Library. You can also register to view it online. 

Sept. 30, 6:30 – 9 p.m., Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Calgary Central Library, and online 
Register here