Egale will be closing our offices Monday, October 2, 2023, for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an opportunity for all people living in Canada to pause and reflect on the history of residential “schools”, where over 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forcefully removed from their families and culture and subjected to unspeakable violence between the 1870s and 1997.
There is great resilience and power within Indigenous communities, but that doesn’t mean the effects of this cultural genocide have been forgotten – it lives on through intergenerational trauma, anti-Indigenous racism and continued oppression. While ongoing learning from non-Indigenous folks is important, September 30 and October 2 are also a chance for non-Indigenous people to commit and/or re-commit to reconciliation. We must pay our respects for the government-sanctioned atrocities inflicted on Indigenous communities, but also continue to show solidarity with them.
Beyond Wearing Orange… What can I do?
Continued education is a vital step. Here are some resources that may help:
- Watch:
- Canadian History and the Residential Schools System
- National Film Board of Canada’s free digital library of Residential Schools documentaries and films.
- Read:
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
- See the progress made on each item through CBC’s website Beyond 94
- OnCanadaProject: Settler’s Take Action
- National Centre for Truth and a Reconciliation Reports
- National Day for Truth and Reconcilition – Government of Canada website
- Listen (Podcasts):
- Canadaland’s Residential Schools. We Haven’t Even Begun to Talk About What Happened
- Native Currents: A Critical Review of What’s Happening in Indian Country
- Follow (Social Media):
- @LandBackBaddie, Indigenous, Two-Spirit artist & advocate
- James Jones, @NotoriousCree, Nehîyaw entrepreneur
- Shina Nova, @ShinaNova, Inuk public figure & throat singer
- Bobby Sanchez, @BobbySanchezMusic, wari artist