Today is the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. September 30 is set aside to "honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process" of the Indigenous population. This is according to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.
Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island give the holiday official status; the other 7 provinces have varying degrees of acceptance.
Here's hoping the holiday gets more official acceptance in subsequent years.
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The day has also been Orange Shirt Day in the past so you might run across this term. We saw the orange shirts in Vancouver on Friday the BC Lions of the CFL had as their way of acknowledging the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. TSN analyst Glen Suitor pointed out this was a rare time that they would wear something that represented one of the teams in the game.
Dustin Nielson and Suitor interviewed Phyllis Webstad on the legacy of the orange shirts. Webstad told her story of her first day at a residential school as a 6-year-old. She wore a shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother. They took the shirt from her.
The ESPN2 audience got to see that interview in the United States. Americans know even less about residential schools than Canadians know about their residential schools.
The Ottawa RedBlacks had a Game of Reconciliation with the Edmonton Elks in the nation's capital on Tuesday. The Edmonton team recently changed its nickname to an animal from a racial slur against the Inuit.
CFL games this weekend will also honour the holiday.
From the CBC Facebook page: "Contributing CBC Art Director Emily Kewageshig, an Anishinaabe artist raised in Saugeen First Nation #29, redesigned the CBC logo marking the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Her work captures the interconnection of life forms using culturally significant materials from the land."
CBC television has extensive prime time programming for the holiday. All times are local; add 30 minutes to the time in most of Newfoundland.
- 7 pm Tonight's lineup starts with Through Our Eyes: Indigenous Shorts, a 4-part compilation of CBC Short Docs by Indigenous documentary filmmakers.
- 8 pm National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the stories and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
- 9 pm We Know the Truth: Stories to Inspire Reconciliation recasts Canada's history and future through the empowerment of Indigenous people.
There are other related programming on CBC radio and television. Radio-Canada also has relevant programming.
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The new minority government needs to do more about the truth part of the truth and reconciliation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is correct that his government has fixed more than 100 boil orders to bring fresh water to reserves. Everyone agrees that more needs to be done on the remaining boil orders.
Canadian films that might explain a bit about the world of residential schools
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
CanadianCrossing.com Indigenous coverage
You are likely working on September 30. You might be interested and not even living in Canada. There are a strong list of Canadian films, fiction and documentaries, that are an asset in learning more about what Indigenous people have been through over multiple generations.
TIFF recognized Alanis Obomsawin and a number of her films at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.
The TV audiences have seen Indigenous stories lately with Rutherford Falls (Peacock), Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu), Mohawk Girls (Peacock via APTN and CBC), and Trickster (CW via the CBC).
We wrote a story earlier this year with a few titles we've seen that can be educational for those who want to learn more.
photo credit: BC Lions/CFL
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