The English Department at UTSC stands in solidarity with Indigenous people across Turtle Island as we mark Orange Shirt Day on September 30th.
We recognize the ongoing, generational trauma inflicted by the Residential School system in Canada, and we condemn all forms of the persistent racist and colonial violence in our society. At UTSC English we aim to work always in the true spirit of understanding, reconciliation, and justice, including facing the role that educational systems have played in the oppression and marginalization of Indigenous people and other minorities. We hope that our students, colleagues, and community will also work towards acknowledgement and change, and that we will do our part to listen to and amplify the voices of Indigenous teachers and storytellers.
Please take this time to engage with Orange Shirt Day events and information. For instance, you can:
Join the UofT commemoration and reflection on September 29th at 10:30am. Attend in person or watch the livestream. Details here: https://people.utoronto.ca/event/2023-orange-shirt-day-and-national-truth-reconciliation-day/
Participate in the UTSC Library's Indigenous Book Club -- the first meeting of the year is September 27th. Details here: http://uoft.me/indigenousbookclub
Explore the Library's research guide for Truth & Reconcilliation resources: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=705755&p=5208531
Check out other events and resources from UTSC: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/home/u-t-scarborough-honours-national-day-truth-and-reconciliation-and-orange-shirt-day
Or try the schedule of events hosted at the St. George campus (downtown): https://indigenous.utoronto.ca/event/2023-orange-shirt-day-and-national-day-for-truth-reconciliation-commemoration/
Watch the National Film Board of Canada's "Souvenir" series of four short experimental films that remix footage from the NFB archives to reflect on indigenous identity in Canada. You can view each of the films streaming at the links below:
- Etlinisigu'niet (Bleed Down), by Jeff Barnaby: www.nfb.ca/film/etlinisigu_niet_bleed_down
- Mobilize, by Caroline Monnet: www.nfb.ca/film/mobilize
- Sisters & Brothers, by Kent Monkman: www.nfb.ca/film/sisters_brothers
Connect with UofT's First Nations House, and follow them on Twitter for news, events, and other opportunities: @UofTFNH
Explore the resources at the Legacy of Hope Foundation, including their "Where Are the Children?" site which allows you to download a mobile tour of an exhibition of survivors' stories, photographs, and documents: http://legacyofhope.ca/wherearethechildren/
And of course, you can learn about the origin and mission of Orange Shirt Day at https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
