Resources for Truth and Reconciliation

Posted on September 30, 2021
By Natasha Pei

Without truth, justice is not served, healing cannot happen, and there can be no genuine reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada.”

–Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015

 

September 30, 2021, will mark the first year that the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is observed as a federal statutory holiday. This public commemoration of the ongoing legacy of colonialism in Canada, while also honouring of children who survived and were lost to residential schools, is one step towards responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action.

 

Orange Shirt Day

Every-child-matters

The choice of September 30 for this holiday is not arbitrary: Today is also Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassrootsmovement originating from the Cariboo Region. The day commemorates the experience of Phyllis Webstad of the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, whose new orange shirt was taken away from her on the first day of attending residential school.

Orange shirts are now a symbol of stripping away culture, freedom and self-esteem from Indigenous children and their families.

 

Resources to support action

On this day of learning, reflection and commitment to action, the Tamarack team has compiled several resources, below, that have been co-authored or co-led with Indigenous partners that may help settlers and settler-led organizations take steps towards reconciliation.

The journey of truth and reconciliation is unique to each settler; and as settlers like me move to decolonize systems and organizations that reinforce and reproduce racism, we must start with their components ‒ with us as individuals.  

 

Foundations: Truth and reconciliation

  • Introduction to Reconciliation – This webinar featuring Charlene Seward of Reconciliation Canada focuses on how settlers can start their truth and reconciliation journeys.

 

Centering Indigenous people, culture and ways of knowing in social change work

  • With NOT For” – This blog post by Jessica Lazare, an onkwehonwe woman from the Kanien’kehá:ka territory of Kahnawà:ke, focuses on the importance of youth voices in defining their own needs and in decision-making.

 

Important resources from the network

 

Actions anyone can take

First Light, a charity that serves Indigenous and settler populations in Newfoundland, has also shared five simple actions that anyone can take on September 30.

 

First Light: Things anyone can do on Orange Shirt Day

Source: First Light (@FirstLightNL), 2021

Reach out

For our Indigenous and settler readers alike, what educational resources have most impacted you on your journey towards truth and reconciliation? Please post them in the comments section to help others share in the learning.

 

Further Your Learning

Topics:
Reconciliation, Homepage Blog


Natasha Pei

By Natasha Pei

Natasha Pei brings online content to life and engages our members in the Vibrant Communities learning centre for poverty reduction. Natasha's involvement with Tamarack began with the Communities First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project, where she worked as a Research Assistant in the Poverty Reduction Hub, studying effective ways community-campus engagement can be undertaken to have real benefits for the community.

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