Takwihleew Orange Shirt Pins honour National Truth and Reconciliation Day with Orange Shirt Pins

Come Together CK (CTCK) and Lana Parenteau, Chatham-Kent’s Indigenous Peer Navigator, are coming together to honour National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, is to honour the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and remember those who did not. Many Canadians across the country wear an orange shirt.

Takwihleew means Come Together in Lenape (Moraviantown’s language). The Takwihleew Orange Shirt Pins were created by Lana.

Lana Parenteau of Moraviantown, Delaware First Nation, walks beside 88 of Chatham-Kent’s most struggling Indigenous. She helps them find a safe place to stay, get food from the food bank, attend doctor appointments and many other supportive undertakings. She is committed to Truth and Reconciliation work in our community. It is because of her family’s experiences in Residential Schools and her own as this history continued into The 60’s Scoop, that Lana feels people need to know this part of Canadian history that was never talked about.
Lana started making pins a few years ago. Last year, with her granddaughter Sky, she felt compelled to make even more pins when the 215 children were recovered at Kamloops Residential School. Since then, thousands of citizens from all walks of life in our community have joined her in making the pins, sharing the pins, and wearing the pins.
This year CTCK is pleased to partner with Chatham-Kent Public Library. All 11 locations have pin making kits available for pick up. Once pins are made, they can be brought back to the Library for distribution, or kept by the maker to give out to their own community of friends and family.
Pins and pin kits are also available by visiting the Community Shop at the Downtown Chatham Centre (old Sears Receiving area), by emailing info@cometogetherck.ca or visiting @ComeTogetherCK on Facebook.

Also supporting Lana’s Truth and Reconciliation efforts in Chatham-Kent is local business Planet Print. Orange shirts are available for purchase at Planet Print (46B Richmond Street – behind McDonalds) or the Community Shop (Downtown Chatham Centre – old Sears receiving area) for $25 with proceeds going to the Lana’s efforts.