National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Message from Dean Preston Smith

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday that commemorates the harmful impact of residential schools, honours the healing journey of survivors and their families, and remembers the children who didn’t make it home. The university will be closed on this day. Sept. 30 also coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which opens the door to global conversation on all aspects of residential schools and the legacy they have left behind.

I encourage our college community to take time to reflect on reconciliation. You can recognize the day in the following ways:

  • Join us by wearing an Orange Shirt this week to raise awareness about the long-lasting impact residential schools has had on Indigenous communities.
  • Attend events held on campus and in the community throughout the week, which provide a time of reflection, learning and action, including a screening of the movie We Were Children, hosted by the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology’s Reconciliation Committee.
  • Learn more about Indigenous history through self-guided learning resources.

More information (including online resources) is available below and on the College of Medicine website.

USask campus events:

  • Sept. 28 – Film screening: Home from School
    11:45 am–1:30 pm, Ground floor, Murray Library
  • Sept. 28 – Panel Presentation: Survivors Among Us
    3–4:30 pm, Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre
  • Sept. 29 – Film screening: We Were Children, followed by discussion and reflection
    5-7 pm, Room E1130, Health Sciences Building and via Zoom

  • Sept. 29 – Keynote presentation – Elaine Sutherland (Office of the Treaty Commissioner)
    11:30 am–1 pm, PAC 101
  • Sept. 29 and 30 – Campus lighting in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation
    Evenings after sundown, various locations on campus
  • Revisit the University Library exhibit Not Just Another Day Off: Orange Shirt Day and the Legacy of Indian Residential Schools, Murray Library

 Community events:

Resources: