NEWS RELEASE
ALGOMA UNIVERSITY
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Algoma University’s Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) was recognized this evening by the City of Sault Ste. Marie and Mayor Christian Provenzano with a Municipal Heritage Award for their impressive work to support truth and reconciliation efforts as well the preservation of the legacy of Indian Residential Schools and the Survivor community.
The Municipal Heritage Award is offered annually by the City of Sault Ste. Marie upon recommendation of the Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Heritage Committee to recognize contributions to the preservation, restoration and enhancement of the City's Heritage Resources as defined in the Cultural Policy for the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie.
"This award recognizes the decades of work by the Children of Shingwauk Alumni Association and the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre to preserve and share the important history of the Shingwauk site,” shared SRSC Curator and Researcher Krista McCracken. “We are honoured to be recognized locally as a leader in heritage and culture preservation and look forward to continuing to share this history with members of the Sault Ste. Marie community."
Uniquely located on the site of the former Shingwauk Residential School, the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre (SRSC) at Algoma University has taken up the charge for community-engaged work by making accessible the story of Indian Residential Schools, broadly, and the story of the Shingwauk Residential School and its Survivors, more specifically.
In August of 2018, the SRSC opened in ceremony the first major, permanent, Residential School Survivor-driven exhibition in a former Residential School building.
‘Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall’ honours over three decades of work led by the Survivor community in their efforts to tell the truth about the Residential School legacy and contribute to healing and reconciliation efforts. This exhibition tells the story of the Shingwauk Residential School within a larger narrative of colonization and the struggle for self-determination. This space is dedicated to the generations of Survivors who attended Indian Residential Schools across North America.
“The Municipal Heritage Award is a fitting recognition of Algoma University’s commitment to the local Indigenous community and the preservation of its history in Bawating,” shared Mayor Christian Provenzano. “It is important to recognize that Truth comes before Reconciliation and that, as a community, we need to be truthful about the difficult parts of our history. Algoma University is leading the way and the Shingwauk Residential School Centre offers all of us a tremendous opportunity to learn about, respect and celebrate the significant First Nation history of this area.”
Thank you so much to the City of Sault Ste. Marie for your continued support of this ongoing and meaningful work
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