September 30 is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Take time to:
- Follow Indigenous knowledge holders and groups, and uplift their voices🧡
- Read (and watch) to learn about Canada’s colonial history and legacy🧡
- Reflect on your relationship to the land and the people around you🧡
- Wear orange. Listen to survivors. Take action to hold our government accountable🧡
- Continue to do these things, today and everyday. Reconciliation is ongoing. This work is never finished.
Accounts to follow:
@decolonizemyself
@decolonizefirst
@inclusivecanada
@videavictoria
@indigenousclimateaction
@
Read:
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/
Questions to guide reflection:
- Whose land are you on? (Find out through https://www.whose.land/en/)
- What is the colonial history of the land where you live? Were there IRS where you live? What year did they close? What is the lasting impact? What nations are living there now?
- What are the relations between the government and the First Nations where you live? What issues matter to those First Nations groups? What can you do to uplift the voices of First Nations in your area?
- What is your positionality? Are you a settler? What is your ancestry? How can you honour your relations?
Actions to take:
- Wear orange on September 30
- Call on the government to work harder towards the 94 calls to action. So far only 11 actions have been “completed”, but it is also important to note that reconciliation is an ongoing relational practice (you can keep track of how many calls to action are being tackled here: https://www.
indigenouswatchdog.org/2022/ 04/26/how-many-of-the-trc- calls-to-action-are-complete- dont-ask-the-federal- government/) - Listen to friends/family/people you meet who are survivors and/or impacted by intergenerational trauma. Make connections. Help them feel validated in their experiences. Point them towards resources like the IRS Survivors Society toll-free line: 1-800-721-0066