Today is Orange Shirt Day

Today?is?Orange Shirt Day, and also the new?National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This is an important day for all Canadians to acknowledge the history of residential schools, recognize the impact on the survivors and their families, and remember those who didn’t make it home from the residential schools.

I'm sure we'll see many people wearing Orange Shirts today, today is also a good day to learn more about this part of our shared history and the truth and reconciliation process. With that in mind, here are some resources for you to checkout:

• Today: The University of Calgary’s Office of Indigenous Engagement is offering a free webinar from noon to 1:30:?Indigenous Writers’ Panel: Literature on Intergenerational Trauma and Healing.
• Ongoing: Check to see if your employer offers any training on Indigenous issues. Or, you may want to organize some training for your company by visiting my friends at Straight Talk Advisory And Training. There’s also a free course called?Indigenous Canada?available through the University of Alberta.?On a personal level, you can also scroll through this list and find easy steps you can take to help move towards Reconciliation:?150 Acts of Reconciliation.

There are also many excellent books worth reading. For good starting points, I often recommend (in no particular order) The Inconvenient Indian, by Thomas King; They Called Me Number One, by Bev Sellars; and, Seven Fallen Feathers, by Tanya Talaga.

Please take a moment in the coming days to reflect on the history of residential schools in Canada, the impact on Indigenous Peoples, and progress in working towards?truth and reconciliation. Remember, #everychildmatters.