On Saturday Sept. 14, 2024, four Niagara College representatives will walk 17 km in support of the Mohawk Village Memorial Park – a new park being constructed in honour of the students who attended the former Mohawk Institute Residential School (The Mush Hole).

Leah Hogan, Director, Indigenous Education, Karl Dockstader, Indigenous Education Cultural Consultant, Samah Sabra, Director, EDI and Accessibility and Jamie Oresar, Professor, School of Liberal Studies have come together to form the team ‘NC Truth Seekers‘ and are raising funds to support the creation of the park – a space that is intended to be a place of remembrance where the human dignity of each of the thousands of survivors of the Mohawk Institute may be recognized and honoured.

“We are a group of both Indigenous and settler Niagara College employees, who have had the honour of working with and learning from survivors over the last year,” said the NC Truth Seekers. “We have learned so much from the generosity with which they have shared their time and truths to help us create an opportunity for Niagara College faculty and students to learn more about residential schools. Our hope is to use their words and their truth to inspire colleagues and students at the college to commit to and work toward building a future where Indigenous voices and narratives are centred. The Mohawk Memorial Village is one avenue toward that future.”

Niagara College staff and faculty that would like to donate to the NC Truth Seekers campaign can visit their fundraising page.

In operation from 1828 to 1970, the Mohawk Institute Residential School was the longest operating residential school in Canada and between 90 and 200 children taken from Six Nations and other First Nations were forced to attend the school each year.