>» An interview with Alysandra Hillaby

Matthew Fraser
Editor-in-Chief

 

ne of the main issues that garnered public scrutiny in

the past year was the discovery of multiple unmarked
gravesites on former residential school grounds. Many
of these gravesites housed the remains of hundreds of
students who were previously declared missing and who
may never be named. The unearthing of these remains
brought to the fore a crucial conversation regarding the
government's actions towards reconciliation for these
past horrors. It became prudent once again for citizens to
consider how this aspect of Canadian history was taught
and in what ways citizens can do better in addressing
these historic wrongs.

To better understand the history and the scoope, The
Other Press spoke with Douglas College Student Union
Indigenous representative Alysandra Hillaby. In sharing
the lessons learned, the Other Press hopes to contribute
to the ongoing quest for healing while illuminating the
history behind the September 30 day of remembrance.

It is important to establish what Orange Shirt
day is while at the same time addressing the truth
and reconciliation aspect of the statutory holiday. To
do this, Hillaby stresses that the two are related but
separate. To begin she illustrates the history of Orange
Shirt Day: “Orange Shirt Day was started in 2013 by
residential school survivor Phyliss Webstad as a way
to educate about the impact of residential schools on
the children who attended.” On the Orange Shirt Day
website, Webstad explains that the impetus began
in 1973 when she was sent to the Mission Residential
school with a brand new shirt bought by her
grandmother. Upon arrival at the residential school,
school officials took the shirt from her in disregard
for her feelings or her as a person. In reflection of this
and the myriad untold traumas suffered in residential
schools, Orange Shirt Day was born.

Hillaby states that the day is meant to honour the
children who survived, to remember the children who
perished and to reaffirm that every child matters. Hillaby
further explains that selecting September 30 as the
day of remembrance is due to the fact that this is the
time when schools start and when children were taken
from their families. “By having Orange Shirt Day in the
beginning of the school year, conversations about racism
and bullying can be had early in the school year.” It is
through this historic connection that the memories of
those taken can be kept alive.

The second portion of the holiday is a direct result
of the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Here,
Hillaby explains that one of the 94 calls to action made

by the commission was to establish a statutory
holiday reflecting on the devastating
impacts residential schools had on
indigenous communities. "This past
year in June, September 30 was
chosen to be the National Day
for Truth and Reconciliation
and became a statutory
holiday. This is the year
that public awareness
spread about the
children who didn't
make it home
from residential
schools, whose
deaths were not
reported, and
whose families
may have never
known what
happened to
their children
or why they
didn’t return.”
When
asked about
the way schools
teach the history
of residential
schools, Hillaby is
both reflective and
cautiously optimistic.
The reflective portion
begins with her own time
in Canadian Elementary
schools and onwards. “From
my own experience... | do not
believe that Canadian schools
teach enough about the history of
residential schools... [Though the last
school closed in 1996, growing up | remember
that] any mention of residential schools was brief
and didn't describe any harms associated with them.”
Though her high school taught about traditional
Indigenous housing, food, and clothing, Hillaby
believes that this was not deep enough. However, she
acknowledges that there have been improvements in
recent years and that education reform is a work in
progress. She also notes that particularly in the past
year, there have been more schools and teachers aiming
to include information about residential schools into