As a Diocese we understand ourselves to be at the beginning of the long road to Truth and Reconciliation. This 90-minute presentation of spoken word, video footage, music and song, speaks to the ongoing work of truth telling, reconciliation, healing and peace making that we have committed to undertake.
Currently UVIC's Associate University Librarian - Reconciliation, Ry Moran served as the Director of Statement Gathering for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2010-2015) and then as founding Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). His work of service to truth and reconciliation and human rights has brought him national and international recognition, including most recently, the announcement from UBC that he is this year's recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from that institution.
Please plan to attend what will be a remarkable and possibly life-changing event.
What is “From Truth to Reconciliation”
“From Truth to Reconciliation” is an approximately 90 minute presentation created by Ry Moran that speaks to the importance of truth telling in our collective work of reconciliation, healing and peace making. Ry does this through a fusion of spoken word, video footage, music and song.
Ry hopes that Chief Barney Williams, who spent 12 years in residential schools on Meares Island (off Tofino) and in Kamloops, will also be part of the evening’s presentation. Barney is a hereditary leader of the Nuu-chat-nulth Nation, was a member of the Survivors’ Committee for the TRC and is a recipient of the British Columbia Reconciliation Award (2023) for his leadership and commitment to furthering reconciliation.
Who is Ry Moran?
Ry is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, indigenous language preservation expert, story gatherer, podcaster, and proud member of the Red River Métis. He is also known as one of Canada’s central figures in Truth and Reconciliation.
Growing up in Victoria and graduating from UVIC in 2002, Ry moved to Winnipeg in 2010 to serve as the Director of Statement Gathering for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In that role he facilitated the gathering of nearly 7,000 video/audio-recorded statements of former residential school students and millions of pages archival records.
Ry then served as the founding Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) which opened in 2015. He guided the creation of the NCTR from its inception contributing to major national initiatives such as the creation of the National Student Memorial Register, designation of multiple residential schools as national historical sites, and development and launch of the Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada. Ry contributed directly to the launch of Gord Downie’s Secret Path in addition to executive producing the New Constellations Tour, a nationwide Canada 150 celebration of Indigenous art, artists, and literature. In 2017 Ry was awarded a Meritorious Service by the Governor General.
He is presently the Associate University Librarian – Reconciliation at the University of Victoria, the first position of its kind in the country. Ry is also the host and creator of Taapwaywin, a UVIC Libraries Podcast that explores the intersections between truth, memory, power and human rights.
In April 2024 UBC announced that Ry will receive an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of British Columbia on May 29 for his work and leadership in truth and reconciliation and human rights.