September 30, 2021 marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour the memory of children who died in residential schools, as well as survivors, their families, and communities. It also coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots day that honours survivors of Residential Schools, and remembers those that did not. 

While not observed as a statutory holiday on the Ontario provincial level, Scarborough Arts will be closed in respect of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 80 of a federal statutory day of commemoration. As a Local Arts Service Organization, we stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples everywhere, and are working to continue creating arts programs that elevate Indigenous voices and bring community arts and cultural services to Indigenous peoples in Scarborough. 

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission defines reconciliation as the “ongoing process of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships” that “involves repairing damaged trust by making apologies, providing individual and collective reparations, and following through with concrete actions that demonstrate real societal change”. As a community, we encourage and invite you to critically consider and meditate on the history of this land known as “Canada” we are on to advocate for and listen to the needs of Indigenous peoples today. 

So tomorrow, let’s wear orange and show up in solidarity with Indigenous peoples affected by Residential Schools. And, let’s continue on this path of reconciliation by remaining critical of the lack of adequate government response for the ongoing cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender non-conforming people; the soaring prices of groceries in Indigenous communities; and the lack of clean drinking water on reserve communities, among others. 

To learn more about Indigenous-led community groups and initiatives to support in Toronto, visit our page at scarborougharts.com/land-acknowledgment-resources. To learn more about some Indigenous artists based in Scarborough and the GTA, check out our latest blog post.

We at Scarborough Arts are committed to deepening our advocacy for all Indigenous peoples. We invite Indigenous folks in our community to pitch arts programs and get involved with our organization by saying hello at hello[@]scarborougharts.com.  

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The land in which Scarborough Arts is located has been the home of Indigenous people and Nations long before colonial documentation of time and is specifically the land of the Huron-Wendat, Anishnabek, Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Haudenosaunee. The territory of what is known today as Toronto is under the One Dish, One Spoon Wampum belt, a peace treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinaabek, and is a mutual agreement between nations for sharing land and resources. The territories that encompass Toronto, as well, are under a number of Treaties including Treaty 13, and in Scarborough specifically the Williams Treaties. There have been many Indigenous names and words associated with this place, and today, Scarborough is home to a multitude of Indigenous people, languages, and cultures from around the world.