Celia Haig-Brown, a Professor in the Faculty of Education at York University, wrote a master’s thesis on Kamloops residential schools in the mid-1980’s, the work was published as a book but was ignored. Haig-Brown has returned to the work and recently published ‘Tsqelmucwílc: The Kamloops Indian Residential School―Resistance and a Reckoning’ in light of recent events.
Celia Haig-Brown’s book Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School was one of the first texts to describe the experiences of residential school survivors from their perspectives, particularly those who had been forced to attend the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
As we move towards Sept. 30, many schools and universities will be talking about observing the new National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. When it comes to all of our institutions — and educational institutions in particular — it’s critical to move far beyond a single day of remembrance.