Abbotsford, BC – September 30th marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and with it comes the opportunity to embark on a learning journey to recognize the holiday. “We are focusing on education this year,” says Laura Schneider, Executive Director of The Reach Gallery Museum. “There can be no reconciliation without truth, so we are hoping to encourage our community to begin to learn about, or deepen their understanding of, Canada’s fraught history of engagement with Indigenous peoples.” This history includes the deliberate attempted erasure of Indigenous culture, language, and identity through the Indian Residential School system.
Beginning on September 30th, The Reach will host a bi-weekly virtual book club focusing on one residential school survivor’s story: They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School by acclaimed author Bev Sellars.
Born in Soda Creek, Xatsu’ll First Nation, in Williams Lake in British Columbia, Bev Sellars spent part of her childhood as a student in a church-run residential school. These institutions practiced strict discipline, endeavored to “civilize” Indigenous children through Christian teachings, and forced separation from family, language, and culture. The most symbolically potent strategy used to alienate residential school children was addressing them by assigned numbers only – not by the names with which they knew and understood themselves. In her frank and poignant memoir of her years at St. Joseph’s Mission, Sellars breaks her silence about the residential school’s lasting effects on her and her family—from substance abuse to suicide attempts—and eloquently articulates her own path to healing.
The book club welcomes adult learners of all ages who are interested in learning more on the topic regardless of their familiarity with the history of residential schools. Participants will meet online every other week to engage in peer-to-peer learning, guided by facilitator Celine Ahodekon. Sellars will join in for the final session on December 9th to take part in the discussion and to answer participant questions.
Register in person (32388 Veterans Way), online at thereach.ca, or call 604-864-8087. Cost of registration is $25.00 and includes a copy of the book.
Image: Cover of Bev Sellars They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School.