On the National Day of Truth & Reconciliation, we honour the missing children and Survivors of residential schools, their families, descendants, and communities across Turtle Island.
We acknowledge today as a day for grieving, a day for reflection, a day for raising awareness and exposing the truth and injustice of Canada’s colonial systems and institutional oppressions which continue to uphold anti-Indigenous racism in Canadian culture, policies, and legislation.
At the same time, we recognize that revitalizing Indigenous ways of being and decolonization are critical practices for community, support, and solidarity as we stand with Indigenous families and communities today and everyday.
We encourage our race relations community to participate in local events for Truth & Reconciliation Day and Orange Shirt Day, and especially take this time to unlearn colonialism and educate ourselves on residential schools, and all existing forms of institutional genocide and colonialism such as the child welfare systems and carceral systems which disproportionately affect Indigenous communities to this day.
We strongly encourage our community to set intentional time and energy to review the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation Reports and Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Chi Mii gwech.
Additional Resources
Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre (LOCAL)
First Peoples House of Learning – Trent University (LOCAL)
Niijkiwendidaa Anishinaabekwewag Services Circle (LOCAL)
Curve Lake First Nation (LOCAL)
Hiawatha First Nation (LOCAL)
Whetung Ojibwa Centre (LOCAL)
Tribal Trade (LOCAL)
Black Duck Wild Rice | James Whetung (LOCAL)
The Witness Blanket by Artist Carey Newman
UNDRIP – United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Reconciliation Education – What are the Truth & Reconciliation 94 Calls to Action?
Strong Nations – Indigenous Owned Book Store & Publishing House (Nanaimo, BC)