Today, Canadians are being asked to reflect on the impact of residential schools and honour the victims of that system by listening to their stories.
Collingwood Public Library is featuring Indigenous stories in several book displays and has created two reading lists for those interested in learning more about the victims and survivors of residential schools as well as Indigenous stories, culture, language and traditions.
Library CEO Ashley Kulchycki said the library makes a conscious effort to collect books by Indigenous authors, books that feature Indigenous characters, and books that tell Indigenous stories.
"The residential school system is often thought of as being part of Canada's past, but it is very much a part of our present," said Kukchycki. "One of the steps towards action is to read Indigenous authors so that we can learn, reflect, and build empathy and understanding, and ultimately move toward change."
The library has prepared a reading list for youth and adults.
The youth list includes Melanie Florence's Stolen Words, which tells the story of a young girl who helps her grandfather learn his language, Cree, after she learns it was stolen from him when he was a boy.
Phyllis' Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad is also on the recommended reading list. The true story of Phyllis Webstad attending a residential school and having her new orange shirt taken from her on her first day was part of the foundation for Orange Shirt Day, which has occurred on Sept. 30 every year since 2013. You can learn more about it here.
The youth reading list from the Collingwood Public Library is available online here, or you can visit the library in person today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today (Sept. 30).
The adult reading list for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation includes two titles available digitally via Hoopla – A Knock on the Door, the essential history of residential schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Schools by Pamela Rose Toulouse. You can learn more about Hoopla and the Collingwood Public Library here.
Adult titles available from the library and included on the reading list include Call Me Indian by Fred Saskamoose, which is the story of a boy who survived residential school and became the NHL's first treaty Indigenous player.
Other books on the list include Unreconciled, by Jesse Wente; In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience by Helen Knott; 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, by Bob Joseph; and Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City, by Tanya Talaga.
The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation reading list for adults from the Collingwood Public Library is available online here.
The Collingwood Public Library is open today and tomorrow (Oct. 1) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
