Resources for the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation

/

Photo by chris robert on Unsplash

September 30th is the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day.

Please see a list of resources below. We hope these will help to make September 30th an impactful day of learning and reflection for you.

For more information about September 30th, see our previous post.

Articles & Readings

Audio & Video

Orange Shirt Vendors

We advise you to check the About and FAQs of any vendor you visit to purchase an orange shirt and encourage you to support Indigenous artists and organizations, and Indigenous-owned businesses.

Featured
unsplash-image-29UC1UZK8KM.jpg
Resources for the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
unsplash-image-8oss2jSaMGE.jpg
National Indigenous History Month 2022
unsplash-image-wuxdtGMNYaU.jpg
Pride Events

Pride Events

/

Photo by Raphael Renter on Unsplash

Happy Pride Month!

For those wanting to take part in celebrating Pride, please see some of the events we’ve compiled below:

For resources, please see this blog post.

Enjoy the rest of Pride Month!

 
Featured
unsplash-image-29UC1UZK8KM.jpg
Resources for the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
Read More →
unsplash-image-8oss2jSaMGE.jpg
National Indigenous History Month 2022
Read More →
unsplash-image-wuxdtGMNYaU.jpg
Pride Events
Read More →

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia 2022

/

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Yesterday marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). 

Recognized across the globe since its creation in 2004, IDAHOBIT is a day to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, it serves to highlight the discrimination and oppression faced by the community, and the work that still needs to be done to disrupt harmful policies and systems that continue to perpetuate harm against the LGBTQ+ community. 

This year’s theme is “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights”, which feels particularly urgent given recent news around Roe v. Wade in the U.S. and its projected impact on the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights. 

Why May 17th? 

On this day in 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from the category of mental illness.

Similarly, in 2019 WHO stopped categorising gender nonconformity as a mental health disorder.

These are important milestones reached by the tireless advocacy and work of LGBTQ+ people and scientists.

Ongoing Stigma

The impact of institutionalised anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is long lasting and there are lingering effects. So while great strides have been made, such as the removal of these categorisations, stigma remains and impacts LGBTQ+ people from the individual to systemic level.

LGBTQ+ people face physical and sexual harassment and assault, bullying, and lower self-esteem. At the systemic level, the LGBTQ+ community faces barriers to necessities such as healthcare, housing, and education. These factors affect their mental health and are further compounded with factors such as race and/or disability.

One way to begin tackling stigma is to challenge our own unconscious biases. 

Learn More

To show your support, learning more is always a great starting point. Please see our non-exhaustive list of resources below: 

Vancouver-based Resources

2022 National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

/

May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW).

Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than other women in Canada. In a 2014 RCMP report, there were 1,181 documented cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women. In 2019, the National Inquiry’s Final Report concluded that the violence Canada committed against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people was a genocide.

This epidemic of violence has been a reality for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people for generations, and despite the already horrific numbers, it is likely that there are many unaccounted for. 

This violence is not random, but is a part of Canada’s legacy of colonialism. Canada’s colonial history continues to shape its present. Further, colonialism is not just a thing of the past — it is an ongoing reality that impacts Indigenous Peoples. It continues to create the conditions for this violence against Indigenous women and girls. It also continues to create the conditions that allow this violence to be largely ignored, hidden, and trivialised.  

[W]e use hard words to address hard truths like genocide, colonization, murder and rape. To deny these hard words is to deny the truths of the families and survivors, front-line workers, and grassroots organizers. We used hard words because the violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people is a difficult, critically important crisis to address and in which we all have a role.

— p.6, The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls 

The REDress Project

In response to this violence, Métis artist Jaime Black created an art installation entitled The REDress Project. Red dresses are hung in public spaces across Canada and the United States to honour the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and to begin critical conversations. May 5th has come to be known as Red Dress Day, and supporters are encouraged to wear red.

Learn More

For more information, we encourage you to read The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

More resources are available below, as well as organisations to support.

Emergency and Health Resources

National Inquiry toll-free 24/7 support line: 1-844-413-6649 

Resources

Organizations

Asian Heritage Month 2022

/

Happy Asian Heritage Month 2022! 

This month, we’re celebrating the incredibly diverse group that is Asian Canadians. While the focus of Asian Heritage Month tends to be on our struggles and tenacity, it is also important to highlight our successes and love of community. 

The category of “Asian” is extremely broad and covers many cultures, but a common thread is the sense of respect, pride, and tenderness that we share for our communities. 

We’ve seen a rise in hate crimes against Asian people since the start of the pandemic. This has amplified the need to  maintain and improve our awareness and practice being an active bystander (when it’s safe for us to do so).

It has also amplified the need to remind ourselves of the generosity, joy, and love of life shared by Asian Canadians. And we want to share and celebrate these with everyone.

Events

Resources

Fun Stuff

New Federal Holiday: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

/

Last updated 9/27/22.

haida artist tamara bell’s memorial for the 215 indigenous children who died at KAMLOOPS residential school, on the steps of the vancouver art gallery. Photo by Sonya Romanovska on Unsplash.

haida artist tamara bell’s memorial for the 215 indigenous children who died at KAMLOOPS residential school, on the steps of the vancouver art gallery. Photo by Sonya Romanovska on Unsplash.

Update — Orange Shirt Day event on Sept. 30, 2021 at 12pm at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (previously the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza).

On September 30 at 12pm, visit šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square for a free performance, Xweýene:msta:m ?əkwəsqwel, seýeḿ (call to witness/listen to respected one), in honour of Orange Shirt Day.

 

The federal government has recently passed legislation making September 30 a federal holiday: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The Government of British Columbia has also recognized this holiday, though not as a statutory holiday, but most schools, post-secondary institutions, some health sector workplaces, and Crown corporations will be closed.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation comes as a response to Call to Action #80 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Actions (2015). It is a day to recognize and learn more about the history of the residential school system, its part in Canada’s colonial history, and its ongoing impacts on Indigenous peoples.

 

80. We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.

—Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

 

Orange Shirt Day

Since 2013, we have observed September 30 as Orange Shirt Day, which was started by Phyllis Webstad, activist and residential school survivor.

When Phyllis was six-years-old, she wore an orange shirt given to her by her grandmother for her first day of school, only to have it, and the rest of her clothes, taken away upon her arrival. Watch Phyllis’ story here and read more about the significance of the orange shirt and the movement Phyllis has inspired here.

During the week leading up to and on September 30, we will be recognizing Orange Shirt Day. We encourage you to take the day to learn more and reflect.

If you are interested in showing support and donning orange, we encourage you to purchase your orange shirts from Indigenous shops and organizations, or vendors that directly support Indigenous peoples. Please see a list of vendors under “Resources” below.

 

Resources

Content warning: Many of these websites and sources deal with sensitive and disturbing content. If you or someone you know needs support, there are 24-hour crisis lines available:

1-866-925-4419 (First Nations Health Authority Residential School Crisis Line)

1-800-721-0066 (Indian Residential School Survivors Society Crisis Line)

 

Articles & Documents


Orange Shirts

Indigenous owned and operated vendors, and vendors that support Indigenous creators, for orange shirts. If we are missing anything that you would like to see added, please let us know!

Make sure to check the “About” or “FAQ” page of any source you visit when purchasing orange shirts.

 
 

We are settlers living, working, and playing on the stolen, unceded, and traditional lands of the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.

National Indigenous Peoples Day 2021

/
‘Welcoming Figure’ by artist Sequiliem (Stan Joseph) was a gift from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) First Nation to West Vancouver. Photo by Vince Lee on Unsplash.

‘Welcoming Figure’ by artist Sequiliem (Stan Joseph) was a gift from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) First Nation to West Vancouver. Photo by Vince Lee on Unsplash.

Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day!

Today, and this entire National Indigenous History Month, we commemorate the 25th annual National Indigenous Peoples Day. This is a time to celebrate and honour Indigenous peoples and their histories, experiences, and stories.

Indigenous people had called for a day of solidarity for over a decade before June 21 was finally declared National Aboriginal Day in 1996. June 21, the summer solstice, is a significant day for many Indigenous peoples.

This day and month are not just a time to celebrate, but a time for us settlers to educate ourselves and reflect on our connections to settler colonialism and the stolen lands we live on. Additionally, and arguably most importantly, it’s a time to give our support Indigenous people, and their movements and organizations.

If you’re wondering where to begin, we have compiled some resources below:

Learn and Reflect

Articles:

Listen to Indigenous Voices

Chances are that your local nation has its own social media account, so make sure to search for and keep up with them!

Show Support

Support Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, businesses, and movements.

 

Consider this list as a place to begin, as it is by no means exhaustive.

We are settlers living, working and playing on the stolen, unceded, and traditional lands of the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.

Asian Heritage Month

/

Updated May 2023.

Happy Asian Heritage Month!

A store sign that reads “we stand with our asian family until we all win.” Photo by Lerone Pieters on Unsplash.

A store sign that reads “we stand with our asian family until we all win.” Photo by Lerone Pieters on Unsplash.

We should take every chance we can to uplift and celebrate our Asian families, friends, coworkers, and communities. But this month, we want to go even further.

Genuine allyship is as crucial as ever, and key to allyship is active learning. This means taking the initiative to seek out information and resources, ask questions, listen to Asian people and communities, and self-reflect.

If you are not sure where to begin, we recommend starting with some fundamental Asian-Canadian history. The recent rise in anti-Asian hate necessitates a shift in our focus to Canada’s long and deep history of anti-Asian racism. While these incidents are upsetting, they are not new or surprising. As Asian-Canadians, and as allies, it is important that we have some understanding of how our history informs our present.

The Head Tax

Chinese Exclusion Act (Chinese Immigration Act of 1923)

The Komagata Maru

Internment of Japanese Canadians

Asian Heritage Month runs from May 1-31.

Resources to help support Asian-Canadians and fight anti-Asian hate.

Resources to Support Asian-Canadians and Fight Anti-Asian Racism

/
photo of protest signs against anti-asian racism placed side by side on the ground. Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash.

photo of protest signs against anti-asian racism placed side by side on the ground. Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash.

Updated on 4/29/21

To help support each other in the fight against anti-Asian racism, we’ve compiled the following list of Canadian resources:

Health Resources

Community Orgs & Resources

 

In Solidarity with our Asian Communities

/

We are heartbroken, outraged, and exhausted by the ongoing racist acts of violence against our Asian communities.

Since the start of the pandemic in Canada and the U.S., we have seen a huge rise in Anti-Asian racism at an alarming rate. It is crucial to note that these acts of violence occur at the intersection of both race and gender: Asian women have been twice as likely to be victims of hate crimes in the U.S., and in BC, Asian women make up 70% of reported incidents. For Asian women, racism and misogyny are intertwined.

We stand in solidarity with our Asian communities against Anti-Asian racism.

Resources:

A more comprehensive list of resources will be added to our blog soon.