September 30
Orange Shirt Day on September 30 is a day to honour the children who went to residential schools and to learn about the legacy of the residential school system. This year, September 30 has also been recognized by the federal government as the annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. To mark this day, A&S has compiled a collection of resources and events to encourage individual and collective learning, reflection and action with respect to the legacy of the residential school system. Learn more about the origin of Orange Shirt Day and Phyllis Webstad's story.
U of T Events and Resources
- Office of Indigenous Initiatives: Orange Shirt Day Webinar with Lee Maracle
- September 30, 2021, 2–3:30 pm
- Orange Shirt Day Digital Assets
- The U of T community is encouraged to use the Orange Shirt Day icon as their profile photo and the virtual backdrop on Teams or Zoom calls the week of September 27, 2021. (Profile photo also available in white.)
- Centre for Indigenous Studies
- A curated reading list related to residential schools, including online resources and works of both fiction and non-fiction.
- Innis College film “Beans”
- Includes a discussion with Indigenous director Tracey Deer.
- September 30, 2021, 6–8:30 pm
- Register for this film screening.
- Woodsworth College: Indigenous Geographies of Toronto: Past, Present, and Future Lecture
- Woodsworth College is pleased to present Indigenous Geographies of Toronto: Past, Present, and Future. This lecture, by Professor Jon Johnson, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at Woodsworth, delivered to alumni during this past year's Alumni Reunion, reflects on how to see the city through the lens of the Indigenous stories and histories.
- University of Toronto Mississauga’s Indigenous Centre
- University of Toronto Mississauga Snider Lecture 2021
- Join UTM for the 2021 Snider Lecture featuring Robin Wall Kimmerer, as she draws on Indigenous and scientific wisdom to offer lessons on healing our relationships with the natural world.
- October 4, 2021, 7–8 pm
- Register for the lecture
Virtual Tours
In October and November, A&S is working with partners to offer virtual tours of former residential school sites. These sessions will be for faculty and staff and scheduled based on availability and demand. Faculty and staff can register to take part in the tours.
Local Indigenous Communities and Organizations
- Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre – IRSS Spirit Garden
The IRSS Restoration of Identity Project, led by Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 82 that calls upon provincial and federal governments, in collaboration with survivors and their organizations, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, residential schools commemorative project in each capital city to honour survivors and families. - Woodland Cultural Centre – Save the Evidence Campaign
“Save the Evidence is a campaign to raise awareness and support for the restoration of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, and to develop the building into an Interpreted Historic Site and Educational Resource. As a site of conscience, the final goal is to create a fully realized Interpretive Centre that will be the definitive destination for information about the history of Residential Schools in Canada, the experiences of Survivors of the schools, and the impact that the Residential School system has had on our communities.” - Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction, September 30 Healing Gathering
- Date and Time: September 30, 2021, 2 pm
- Location: Allan Gardens
- Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation: Every Child Matters Unity Walk
- Date and Time: September 29, 2021, 9:30 am
- Location: Hagersville
Training and Professional Development for Faculty and Staff
A series of trainings by John Croutch:
- Speaking Our Truths: The Journey Towards Reconciliation Part 1
- October 5, 2021, 1–3pm and October 19, 2021, 10 am–12 pm
- Speaking Our Truths: The Journey Towards Reconciliation Part 2
- October 12, 2021, 1–3 pm and October 26, 2021, 10 am–12 pm
- Reflecting on Indigenous Land Acknowledgments
- October 13, 2021, 1–2:30 pm and October 27, 2021, 10–11:30 am
- Reconciliation: Walking the Path of Indigenous Allyship
- October 6, 2021,1–2:30 pm and October 20, 2021, 10–11:30 am
Student Sessions
- Speaking Our Truths: The Journey Towards Reconciliation Part 1
- September 20, 2021, 11 am–12:30 pm
- Speaking Our Truths: The Journey Towards Reconciliation Part 2
- September 27, 2021, 11 am–12:30 pm
- Reflecting on Indigenous Land Acknowledgments
- October 7, 2021, 1–2:30 pm
- Reflecting on Indigenous Land Acknowledgments
- October 13, 2021, 1–2:30 pm
- Reconciliation: Walking the Path of Indigenous Allyship
- October 15, 2021, 10–11:30 am
Reading List
This is a non-exhaustive list of resources, reports, books, and novels related to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation or Orange Shirt Day. It is starting place to learn about the legacy of residential schools and its impacts.
- Amnesty International. “Reconciliation Means Not Having to Say Sorry a Second Time: Conversation with CINDY Blackstock, First NATIONS Child and FAMILY Caring Society.” Amnesty International Canada, 7 May 2021.
- King, Hayden & Shiri Pasternak. “#LandBack: What Does It Mean & How Do You Enact It?” Yellowhead Institute, "X" University, Apr. 2019.
- Pasternak, Shiri & Naomi W. Metallic. “Cash Back: A Yellowhead Institute Red Paper.” Yellowhead Institute, "X" University, May 2021.
- Joseph, Bob. “21 Things You May Not Have Known about The Indian Act.” Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., 2 June 2015.
- McFarlane, Peter, and Nicole Schabus. “Whose Land Is It Anyway? A Manual for Decolonization.” Federation of Post Secondary Educators of BC, 2017.
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. “TRC Website.” National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, University of Manitoba, 2021.
- University of Toronto TRC Steering Committee Final Report. “Wecheehetowin: Answering the Call.” Division of the Vice President and Provost, University of Toronto, 2017.
- Canada. “Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.” Library and Archives Canada, 1991.
Available through Robarts Library, U of T Bookstore, and other booksellers
- Chrisjohn, Roland David, et al. The Circle Game: Shadows and Substance in the Indian Residential School Experience in Canada. Theytus Books, 2012.
- Woolford, Andrew. Did You See Us?: Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at an URBAN Indian Residential School. University of Manitoba Press, 2021.
- Milloy, John S. A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, 1879 to 1986. The University of Manitoba Press, 2017.
- Miller, J.R. Shingwauk’s Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools. University of Toronto Press, 1996.
- Regan, Paulette, and Taiaiake Alfred. Unsettling the SETTLER Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada. UBC Press, 2014.
- Wagamese, Richard. Indian Horse: A Novel. Milweed Editions, 2018.
- Warry, Wayne. Ending Denial Understanding Aboriginal Issues. University of Toronto Press, 2008.