Today, June 21st, is National Indigenous Peoples Day. To honour residential school survivors, as well as those who never came home, the seventh annual Rock Your Roots: Walk for Reconciliation was held this morning along Saskatoon’s riverbank.

Shirley Isbister, President of Central Urban Metis Federation Inc., or CUMFI, says rocking your roots means showcasing your culture, being proud of where you came from, and coming together as a community.

Participants were asked to wear orange as a symbol of reconciliation.

“When you get to a point (in the walk) and you turn around and you look, you just see a sea of orange. You see all of the Saskatoon community, so many people coming together who believe in reconciliation.”

Isbister says children in residential schools were not allowed to celebrate their birthdays. In an effort to right historical wrongs, all 3,100 elementary school students in attendance for the walk received a cupcake, which were made by volunteers.

Marcia Woliski, originally from Brazil, has attended nearly every Rock Your Roots Walk since the event began.

“I noticed on the first year, the gathering was smaller, but the second year that I came, it was larger. It’s getting larger and larger and larger.”

Her friend Elle Guarnieri, also from Brazil, says this is the first year she has taken part in the walk, and the energy amongst the crowd of over 5,000 was overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s really exciting to be here and participate in this kind of event, and to represent and see how people can be together for a cause.”

She adds that the large crowd is a representation of Saskatoon’s dedication to reconciliation, multiculturism, and diversity.

The Traffic Bridge and other road closures downtown for the event should reopen by 2 this afternoon.