Sep 30th – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day on September 30th is a day to honour the First Nations peoples who were affected by the residential schools that operated in Canada between 1831 and 1996. September 30th is a special day because it marks the time of year that children were taken from their families and forced into residential schools. This day is an opportunity for everyone to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools.

In the spirit of reconciliation and healing, Canadians are asked to wear an orange shirt on this day to acknowledge that every child matters. If you’re online you can download an Orange Shirt Day Profile Icon and Backdrop Image HERE. 

The University of Toronto is compiling a list of available resources and invites you to various organized events across all three campuses to encourage the learning and reflection of the affects that residential schooling had on the First Nations peoples.  

On September 30th:
2:00PM-3:30PM — The Office of Indigenous Initiatives has organized an online event for Orange Shirt Day that will be hosted virtually by Hart House. This online                                      event will feature an opening ceremony, land acknowledgement, informative videos, and keynote addresses from an Indigenous Studies instructor,                                          Lee Maracle. Maracle is a critically acclaimed and award-winning author of several books, including Bobbi Lee, Sundogs, Ravensong, Bentbox, Sojourner’s                                       Truth, I Am Woman, and various short story collections. To learn more about Hart House's Orange Shirt Day virtual event, click HERE.

6:00PM–8:30PM — Innis College Invites you to a free live broadcast of the award winning film Beans by Tracey Deer. Beans is the winner of the 2021 Canadian Screen                                    Award for Best Picture and is inspired by true events. Without spoiling the movie, Beans is about an adolescent Mohawk girl (Beans) who must grow                                          up fast during the 1990 Oka Crisis. The 1990 Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec. To learn                                      more about how this story unfolds tune into the live stream by clicking HERE. 

On October 4th:
7:00PM-8:00PM — U of T Mississauga invites students to its 2021 Snider Lecture featuring keynote speaker Robin Wall Kimmerer as she draws upon Indigenous                                      and scientific wisdom to offer lessons on how we can heal our relationships with the natural world. Kimmerer is a scientist, professor, and                                                author of several novels like Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Each registrant will be                                                            automatically entered to win one of 10 signed copies of a hardcover special edition of Braiding Sweetgrass by Kimmerer. For more information on the                                        2021 Snider Lecture, please click HERE.