By Elizabeth Stregger
The Mount Allison Indigenous Affairs Office, the Indigenous Advisory Circle, and the Indigenous Student Support Group are leading a Week of Reflection around Truth and Reconciliation at Mount Allison.
As part of the week's activities of reflection, they screened We Were Children by Tim Wolochatiuk (2012), a feature film that documents the damage and impact of Canada's residential school system, told through the eyes of two children. Any students, staff, or faculty who missed the Sept. 26 Vogue Theatre screening can view the film through NFB Campus.
You may wish to join us in reading (or re-reading) the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Reports, available online at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and in particular the TRC’s Calls to Action. You can also find print copies of the Truth and Reconciliation Reports in our book display and in the book stacks at call number E 96.5 T78.
Progress on meeting the TRC’s Calls to Action has been slow. A report by the Yellowhead Institute notes that that only eight of the 94 Calls to Action were completely implemented in 2020. Authors Eva Jewell and Ian Mosby say "Ultimately, we find that Canada is failing residential school Survivors and their families." We each, as individuals and as part of organizations, have a role to play in advocating for the completion of the Calls to Action.
TRC Calls to Action #67-70 are about Museums and Archives, but must be answered at the national level as they relate to Libraries and Archives Canada and other national organizations. Libraries and archives, including Mount Allison University Libraries and Archives, rely on the recommendations made in the CFLA-FCAB Truth and Reconciliation Report and Recommendations (2018) and the draft Reconciliation Framework for Canadian Archives (2020).
We encourage you to find the relevant recommendations for your field of study or profession and join us in choosing specific concrete steps to take now and in the future.
Elizabeth Stregger is Mount Allison's Data & Digital Services Librarian
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