Every Child Matters
The discovery of the remains of Indigenous children on former residential school grounds has been a shock to some Canadians and a validation of a collective heartbreaking experience for others. The Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada contained six specific Calls to Action (71-76) about Missing Children and Burial Information which have yet to be fully addressed. This report was published in 2015 so there is no denying this has been a known issue.
What role can the Library play?
For our part, we acknowledge the long-term repercussions of the residential school system in Canada and suggest some reading material from our Juvenile and Adult collections. Our goal is to raise awareness, promote discussion, and encourage understanding.
Let us truly hear the voices of those who survived the system itself, as well as those who descended from those survivors. Whether the accounts are memoirs, or fiction inspired by their experiences, they can teach us much about what went so wrong and compel us to do better.