Background
Sheridan is committed to reconciliation and ensuring the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools is never forgotten. In 2021, the federal government passed legislation to make September 30 the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.
September 30 is a day for remembrance, mourning, learning and growth. It is an opportunity to honour the survivors, families and communities impacted by residential schools and the continued trauma faced by Indigenous communities throughout the country. Sheridan held a virtual observance in 2021 and committed to a full slate of programming going forward that engages as many members of our community as possible.
To that end, we are commemorating this year’s observance by offering a robust schedule of educational and engaging programming for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2022. In recognition of the weight that this day holds, and to allow all students and employees to fully participate in the planned activities, classes will not be held on September 30, 2022, as posted this past spring to the academic calendar. In addition to not convening classes, tests, exams and assignments will also be suspended on September 30.
Although business operations will continue as scheduled, leaders are encouraged to support the participation of their team members in programming.
Programming
A working group co-chaired by Sheldon Pereira, Vice Provost, Student Experience and Enrolment Management, and faculty member Dr. Shady Hana, and comprised of members from the Office of Inclusive Communities, the Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support, the Sheridan Student Union and other faculty and staff across Sheridan has been working for months to offer a full suite of programming for September 30.
The theme of this year’s programming is: How do we live it? Sheridan’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. The programming includes opportunities for our community to pledge their personal commitment, engage in dialogue and ask questions, take part in cultural activities and learn from special guest speakers.
Mohawk Institute Residential School: Virtual Tour and Debrief
Save the date for a tour of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School. Learn the history of the school from when it opened in 1831 until it closed in 1970. Participants will see different rooms in the school from the meeting room, the girls’ and boys’ dorms, the third floor, cafeteria, and various rooms in the basement.
Date: Thursday, September 22
Time: 1:30 p.m. (60-minute tour followed by a Q&A session)
To join the event: This event is now closed.
Travelling Down the River Together: Living Truth and Reconciliation
Join us in conversation as we reflect on Sheridan’s land acknowledgement, the principles of reconciliation, and the pivotal role postsecondary institutions play in addressing the legacy of the residential school system.
Date: Tuesday, September 27
Time: 10–11:30 a.m.
To join the event: This event is now closed.
Resources for self-directed learning
With input from the Truth and Reconciliation Working Group, Sheridan student Shia Surani has compiled a guide of self-directed learning resources for the Sheridan community.
Date: Friday, September 30
Time: 9–11 a.m.
To access the resources: Current Sheridan students and staff can access these materials through Sheridan Central.
Sheridan welcomes Indigenous rights activist and author Michelle Good
Please join us virtually for remarks and a Q&A with Michelle Good, an Indigenous rights activist and bestselling author of Five Little Indians.
Date: Friday, September 30
Time: 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
To join the event: Current Sheridan students and staff can access this event through Sheridan Central.
Michelle is a Cree writer and a member of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. After working for Indigenous organizations for 25 years, she obtained a law degree and advocated for residential school survivors for more than 14 years. Good earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia while still practicing law and managing her own law firm.
Her poems, short stories, and essays have been published in magazines and anthologies across Canada, and her poetry was included on two lists of the best Canadian poetry in 2016 and 2017. Five Little Indians, her first novel, won the HarperCollins/UBC Best New Fiction Prize, the Amazon First Novel Award, the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Award, the Evergreen Award, the City of Vancouver Book of the Year Award, and is a finalist for Canada Reads. It was also longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and a finalist for the Writer’s Trust Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes.
Film screening: We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice
We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice, a film directed and written by Alanis Obomsawin, will be screened virtually to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Date: Friday, September 30
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Film run time: 2 hours, 43 minutes
To join the event: Current Sheridan students and staff can access this event through Sheridan Central.
About the film
The rights of First Nations children take centre stage in this monumental documentary. Following a historic court case filed by the Assembly of First Nations and the Child and Family Caring Society of Canada against the federal government, Alanis Obomsawin exposes generations of injustices endured by First Nations children living on reserves and their families. Through passionate testimony and unwavering conviction, frontline childcare workers and experts including Cindy Blackstock take part in a decade-long court battle to ensure these children receive the same level of care as other Canadian children. Their case against Canada is a stark reminder of the disparities that persist in First Nations communities and the urgent need for justice to be served.
Pledge
Every member of the Sheridan community has a role to play in advancing truth and reconciliation.
We invite you to pledge to take one or more of the following actions.
Suggested pledges
- Read the 94 Calls to Action.
- Read one or more of the Truth and Reconciliation Reports.
- Visit the Orange Shirt Society’s website to learn about the history of the day and access teaching resources.
- Review the resources available at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation’s website, including the interactive map of residential schools.
- Purchase an orange shirt and wear it on September 30 to demonstrate your solidarity.
- Sign up for Sheridan’s online workshop on September 27: Travelling Down the River Together: Living Truth and Reconciliation.
- Sign up for Sheridan’s six-part workshop series Looking Forward, Looking Back: Indigenous Learning Series (available for Sheridan faculty and staff).
- Indigenous students can review the Babamadizwin guide for information about available supports (part of Sheridan’s Well Series).
- Visit Sheridan’s medicine garden at the Trafalgar Road Campus (Oakville).
- Take a virtual tour of the Mohawk Institute Residential School.
- Review Sheridan library’s Indigenous Studies Guide.
- Review the resources on Sheridan’s digital repository.
- Listen to the podcast The Secret Life of Canada about the untold and undertold history of Canada as it relates to Indigenous people.
- Learn about intergenerational trauma and trauma-informed pedagogy.
- Take the free Indigenous Canada course on Coursera.
- Visit UBC’s Indigenous Foundations website for information about the history, politics, and cultures of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
- Listen to the CBC podcast Kuper Island, which tells the story of four students who attended one of the most notorious residential schools.
- Watch the film We Were Children, which tells the story of two children who attended residential schools.
- Read 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph.
- Read Five Little Indians by Michelle Good.
- Read Seven Fallen Feathers by Tanya Talaga.
- Check out CBC’s recommendations for 35 books to read for National Indigenous History Month.
- Talk to your children about truth and reconciliation — check out CBC’s recommendations for 17 children’s books for National Indigenous History Month.
- Watch Starleigh Grass’ TEDx Talk on teaching about residential schools.
- Visit the Debwewin Project website to learn about Oakville’s truth and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
- Learn about the treaties that apply where you work and where you live — start by looking online for a map of Ontario treaties.
- Learn about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Commit to incorporating truth and reconciliation into your curriculum or workplace.
- Share the truth about residential schools with family and friends.
- Honour the children in a way that is meaningful to you.
