September 30 has been a significant date in Canada since 2013, when Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation shared her story of attending St. Joseph’s Residential School in Williams Lake, BC, for the first time in 1973.

As a youngster, she proudly wore her shiny new orange shirt, only to have it taken from her by the school. Since then, Orange Shirt Day has been a national movement in Canada where people across the country wear orange in honour of Phyllis and other residential school survivors, so that we both recognize and raise awareness of the history and legacies of the Canadian residential school system.

This year’s Orange Shirt Day, September 30, 2021, is also the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.

As part of its mandate, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization Committee (DIDC) of CALL/ACBD is committed to fostering awareness and acumen in respect of issues of diversity, inclusion, and decolonization within all sectors of law librarianship and related professions.

Truth and Reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is a national movement that is not only limited to one day, but is an ongoing effort so that Indigenous Peoples and their rights are recognized, understood and respected by all.

In this spirit, the DIDC, as part of CALL/ACBD, would like to highlight a couple of upcoming opportunities available to all of us to bring together our colleagues in order to honour survivors, their families and communities, and to sadly remember those who didn’t make it home:

• On Thursday, September 30, the University of Windsor Law Library will be hosting WAAYDANAA | Now is the Time. The event will be held virtually and is free. Registration is required.
• Nadine Hoffman, in coordination with the Academic SIG and the DIDC, is planning a related event on strategies for aspects of Indigenous research to help us better understand legal research in relation to Indigenous Peoples. Stay tuned – format and details to come!