Griffith Group Executive Search Observes Orange Shirt Day and 3rd Annual National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

Griffith Group Executive Search observes Saturday, September 30^th, 2023 as Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family, and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of Every Child Matters. On the same day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the children lost and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.

We recognize that widespread public commemoration and acknowledgement of the tragic and painful history, continued impact, and intergenerational trauma of Canada's residential school legacy is a vital component of both the reconciliation process, and our own (un)learning journey in support of decolonization.

A select list of resources that we have found useful in our own learning journeys can be found below: 

Online Resources:

• “Indigenous Canada” - A free course offered by the University of Alberta, Faculty of Native Studies
• First Nations University of Canada and RBC’s online course, 4 Seasons of Reconciliation
• First Nations University of Canada’s online course, Nisitohtamowin ᓂᓯᑐᐦᑕᒧᐃᐧᐣ
• Myseum of Toronto’s Indigenous Resources for Allies
• Canada’s Residential Schools - Canadian Geographic x Google Earth

Reading Material:

• A Knock on the Door by Phil Fontaine, Aimée Craft, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
• 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph
• Loss of Indigenous Eden and the Fall of Spirituality by Blair Stonechild
• They Called Me Number One by Xat'sull Chief Bev Sellars
• Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player by Fred Sasakamoose
• Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
• Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga
• Apple: (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth
• Our Stories: First Peoples in Canada by Centennial College (Free on Apple Books)
• ‘Real’ Indians and Others: Mixed-blood Urban Native Peoples and Indigenous Nationhood by Bonita Lawrence
• Making Native Space by Cole Harris
• The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada by Lisa Monchalin
• One Story, One Song by Richard Wagamese
• Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada by Adam J. Barker and Emma Battell Lowman
• Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada by Chelsea Vowel
• Decolonization is not a metaphor, by Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang

Articles & Reports:

• Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: The Report
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous People via CBC
• Calls to Action Accountability: A 2020 Status Update on Reconciliation

Videos:

• A Mother’s Voice - via STORYHIVE on YouTube
• We Were Children - via NFB / Amazon Prime Video / AppleTV
• The Pass System
• Canada’s Dark Secret - via Al Jazeera on YouTube
• Bee Nation - via CBC Gem

Podcasts:

• Finding Cleo - CBC Podcast
• Thunder Bay - CANADALAND Podcast
• Residential Schools - Historica Canada Podcast
• Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s – Gimlet Podcast

Organizations:

•  The Orange Shirt Day Society
• Indigenous Residential School Survivors
• Indspire
• Water First Education & Training
• Legacy of Hope Foundation
• National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation - University of Manitoba
• The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
• The Witness Blanket
• Save the Evidence Campaign
• Circles for Reconciliation
• Reconciliation Canada
• 4Rs Youth Movement
• Canadian Roots Exchange
• Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
• Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Fund by Unite for Change