Truth First: Preparing for Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

As we prepare for the eleventh observance of  Orange Shirt Day this year and the third time it has also been observed as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are struck both by the many ways we can learn and connect in community and also by the little real progress that has been made toward Reconciliation with Indigenous people. What we’re seeing is that there is still a need to establish a shared truth about the lasting impacts of Residential Schools and how the fortunes of Indigenous people today derive from Canada’s role in disrupting systems of kinship, community and culture. Orange Shirt Day is an opportunity to honour those affected, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is the occasion to deepen our understanding – to start or continue learning the truth.

Fifty years have passed since six-year-old Phyllis Webstad entered the St. Joseph Mission Residential School, outside of Williams Lake, BC. where her orange shirt was taken from her, and eight years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its reports [https://nctr.ca/records/reports/#trc-reports], including 94 Calls to Action. We know that progress has been slow, because Indigenous people say so, most notably in the Yellowhead Institute’s Calls to Action Accountability reports. But we can see it in the headlines as well, with a provincial election in Manitoba being fought at least partly on the incumbent government’s refusal to search for missing and murdered Indigenous women; or in failures to adequately protect or provide relief to Indigenous communities disproportionately impacted by this summer’s extreme weather events; or in the news of Residential School denialists trying to dig up unmarked graves to ‘see for themselves.’

Pillar’s 2021-2023 strategic framework empowers and compels us “to acknowledge our shared complicity in anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and all intersecting oppressions, and drive ourselves and our network to action;” “bear witness to oppression and name it;” and “educate ourselves and examine how our own organizational practices maintain structural racism and inequality.”

Our own team undertook this year to undergo training in creating Culturally Safe Organizations for Indigenous People. We also continued to add measures to our recruiting, hiring, and onboarding practices that reinforce our commitment to decent work and equity for all. 

What else gives us hope?

We offered kudos to City staff and politicians this year for its commitment to a Reconciliation, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion area of focus in its 2023-27 Strategic Plan.

But, most importantly, there is a tremendous array of learning opportunities and observances this year in our network and beyond, where we can join crucial dialogues, enhance awareness about the persistent impacts of residential schools, and commit to foster positive transformation, hope, and pathways to healing and recovery.  Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation are pivotal platforms for learning and establishing the shared truth that is the first step to Reconciliation.

In the community this week and beyond:

Online learning and connecting:

Watch:

Listen:

    • Classic Rock 98.1 joining radio stations across Canada to amplify and elevate Indigenous voices with "A Day to Listen 2023," 6am to 6pm on Saturday, September 30.

    Read:

    Learn: 

    Support: 

    For additional resources, please see Pillar's articles Respect, Reconciliation and Community-Based Action and It’s On Us To Commit to Learning, Reflection and Action This National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Beyond.



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