National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Read With Us
September 27, 2024
PuSh Festival does our work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and Səl̓ílwətaɬ nations, and it is our duty to establish right relations with the people on whose stolen territories we live and work, and to the land itself.
Since the first Orange Shirt Day in 2013, September 30th is the day we dedicate time to remember the history and legacy of Residential Schools and bear witness to the resiliency of survivors. It is on all of us to commit to the ongoing work of Reconciliation.
We urge you to join our staff in taking the day to reflect on our shared history and take meaningful action toward reconciliation by participating in events hosted by local Nations and committing to meaningful actions you can undertake.
PuSh has made our own commitments to the ongoing work of reconciliation and right relations. They are as follows:
- We will listen.
Through in-depth consultation with local artists, elders and knowledge keepers to ensure our work with Indigenous artists are addressing the real needs and desires of the community.
- We will educate ourselves.
Our staff and board commit to educating ourselves not only about the history of Indigenous peoples on this land, but also about Indigenous wisdoms and ways of knowing so that we can be ready for the difficult conversations that need to be had. We do this by learning more about Indigenous artists and thinkers, engaging Elders to share their wisdom, reading and listening to works by Indigenous people.
- We will share what we’ve learned.
We will support community learning by creating, amplifying and championing resources. This will include extending invitations to learning opportunities beyond PuSh’s staff and board and sharing resources on social media for others to take advantage of.
- We will engage artists and community members in the spirit of right relations
In our work hosting Indigenous artists and presenters, we will be good hosts, ensure appropriate protocols are in place and work in collaboration with local Indigenous organizations to ensure that we are uplifting, and not profiting off of, our Indigenous peers.
This year, I would like to focus on the second of those commitments: to educate ourselves. As a part of our weekly staff meetings, PuSh staff and contractors read and discuss a piece of journalism or publication relevant to the ongoing work of reconciliation and decolonization. Recently, we have been focused on the publications by the Yellowhead Institute, which not only publishes updates on progress of the 93 calls to action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report but other policy documents related to reconciliation. We are currently reading: “From Risk to Resilience: Indigenous Alternatives to Climate Risk Assessment in Canada.” Please consider reading along with us and exploring their other works at yellowheadinstitute.org.
Thank you to our host nations, Indigenous partners and activists around the country for continuing to hold space for these conversations.