September 30th 2021 - National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

This year marks the first official National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. Of the 94 Calls to Action by the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission of 2015, the declaration of a national holiday is #80. 

We are encouraging our members to take part in the Every Child Matters March on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 1:00 pm, meeting at Place du Canada.

On this day, we want to share that Temple’s newly-formed Working Group for Truth and Reconciliation will be starting on a number of initiatives, including reaching out to local First Nations in the spirit of allyship and relationship building.  

Small steps can lead to big changes, so we encourage you to consider personal acts of reconciliation, such as reading a book, watching a documentary, or supporting Indigenous-owned businesses. There are many resources available; we have compiled a list to help you get started. This Indigenous Ally Toolkit [PDF] is a good place to start.  

Every Child Matter Rally September 30th

On this National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal and the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) call upon community members and youth, and invite you to walk with them to acknowledge that “All Children Matter”.
For more details, visit them here on Facebook.

LIST OF RESOURCES

Kol Nidre, September 2021
Empty Shoes, Rabbi Lisa Frushcow, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom
Click here to read the full sermon in English.
Click here to read the full sermon in French.

Deborah Corber, “Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples: Not Just for Governments”
August 10, 2021

Books 

Thinking of purchasing a book by a First Nation author?  If so, we encourage you to purchase from Strong Nation, an Indigenous-owned and operated online Book and Gift store, as well as a Publishing house. 

Non-fiction

  • I Lost My Talk, Rita Joe
  • 21 things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality, Bob Joseph
  • We All Go Back to the Land: The Who, Why, and How of Land Acknowledgments, Suzanne Keeptwo
  • The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King
  • They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School, Bev Sellars
  • Seven Fallen Feathers, Tanya Talaga
  • Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
  • Unreconciled: Family Truth and Indigenous Resistance, Jesse Wente

Fiction

  • Five Little Indians, Michelle Good
  • Indian Horse, Richard Wagamese

Literature

Multimedia: Film, Theatre, Podcast

Organizations You Can Support:

Social Media Influencers to Follow:

Indigenous clothing (orange shirts and streetwear)