How every leader can support Reconciliation
Canadians observe September 30th as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We honour Survivors, their families, and communities to ensure that the history and legacy of residential schools are never forgotten.
Educating ourselves is a meaningful way to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Every leader can commit to an ongoing learning process to become an Indigenous ally and make our organizations more inclusive, equitable and safe. We often have to start by "unlearning" assumptions and false information that we have absorbed. Thankfully, there are so many options to access this learning today. Here are some resources that I’ve found particularly helpful:
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King (Doubleday Canada, 2017). This intense book is packed full of historical insights about the legacy of colonialism and its ongoing impacts. The book's quick pacing and conversational tone makes it hard to put down. The author calls it “an incomplete history,” but its Indigenous voices and perspectives offer a more complete view of North America. Peppered with wry observations, the book connects historical events to today’s political and social issues. If you can get the illustrated edition, the photos bring people, places and events in the book to life.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Reports – Volumes 4 and 5 tell the heartbreaking stories of people and communities harmed by residential schools. The Calls to Action outline ways Canada will move toward Reconciliation. Discussing the Calls to Action with our colleagues will help us find ways to support Reconciliation in our organizations. PDFs of some reports are available online, and full print copies can be purchased from McGill-Queen’s University Press (but check local sources- I found mine in a bookstore on Galiano Island).
Did That Just Happen? By Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker & Dr. Lauren Wadsworth (Beacon Press, 2021). It’s not always easy to respond “in the moment” when harmful, racist and exclusionary words or actions happen. This book offers practical tips that help us recognize and respond to those moments. Each painful mistake can show us ways to make our organizations more inclusive and safer. We all mess up, so I found its focus on the need for humility and empathetic listening to be helpful.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo (Beacon Press, 2018). This book debunks the assumption that only “mean people” participate in racism. Its storytelling describes specific sociocultural forces of white supremacy that influence us from childhood. Read this book if you want to understand our unconscious participation in racism, and be inspired to live more consciously.
Inclusive Leadership by Charlotte Sweeney & Fleur Bothwick (Financial Times Publishing, 2016). This book offers practical ideas for leaders to build diversity and inclusion into the culture of our organizations. It’s a useful overview if you’re developing strategies or programs. If you’re exploring post-pandemic ways of working, the chapter Flexible Working helps explain the many ways that flexibility can support diversity.
Online courses. Like many Canadians, I’ve been taking the free online course Indigenous Canada through the University of Alberta. It’s a series of virtual lectures, and the flexible pace is helpful for busy executives and teams. It’s an introductory-level course, and online discussions go deeper into specific topics, so there’s something for everyone.
Resources created by Indigenous leaders. Just today a friend sent me a link circulated by the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council Society offering a resource page for settlers who want to be allies. I'm grateful to the Society for their generosity in creating and sharing this resource, which will help many of us take "the all-important step of being responsible for your own education on Indigenous issues."
These resources barely scratch the surface of all the options. What have you personally found helpful in this information, and are there any other learning resources that you recommend?