As Canadians, one of the times when this is especially important to remember is Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th, which is also Orange Shirt Day. We hear a lot of the Truth, but not so much about Reconciliation—the 94 calls to action that came from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for example, are not something that every Canadian is intimately familiar with, and very few of those calls have been heard and turned into action items that have been followed through on.
We present here some suggestions for things to look into this month:
Places to donate:
– RAVEN trust https://raventrust.com/donate/
-Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society https://vafcs.org
– BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres notes the above and other friendship centres across BC, for those not residing -in Vancouver https://bcaafc.com
– Indian Residential School Survivor Society https://www.irsss.ca
Educational resources:
– Truth and Reconciliation Commission Canada https://nctr.ca/about/truth-and-reconciliation-commission-of-canada/
– Truth and Reconciliation Week Sept 21 to 25, free online talks https://trw-svr.nctr.ca
– The 94 calls to action https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
– The Turtle Island course put on by our union—make sure you have at least one meeting in a twelve-month period and you can apply for it if the local puts it on. If it’s a regional course, there is no meeting requirement.
Books to read:
– The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
– Crushed Wild Mint by Jess Housty
Activities:
– Check your local community Centre and library, they frequently host events for Truth and Reconciliation Day (amongst many other events throughout the year)
– Ethno-botany walks—there was a fantastic one done at Stanley Park during a Turtle Island course.
In a time where a lot of “never again”s are turning into “once more with feeling”s, let us strive to make progress rather than regressing. Let us walk the path of reconciliation, in ways that are genuine and real, and lift each other up. We are always stronger together.
In Solidarity,
Organizing Committee