Truth First: The Legacy of Canada’s Residential Schools
*Trigger Warning: This episode includes content dealing with upsetting, sensitive, and potentially triggering themes including institutionalized modes of oppression, sexual violence, and violence against children.
Today’s episode delves into the history and enduring consequences of Canada's residential school system. With a focus on understanding the systemic abuses inflicted upon Indigenous children and communities, we examine the roots of the residential school system and its devastating effects on Indigenous cultures and identities.
In the first segment, Kaila Johnston provides an overview of the history of residential schools in Canada, discussing their role within the broader context of colonialism and the suppression of Indigenous cultures. She also explains the methods used within the system to suppress Indigenous languages and cultures and clarifies the term "cultural genocide." Kaila addresses common misunderstandings about residential schools, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging their impact on Indigenous communities. Tyler Pennock then discusses the long-term impact of residential schools on Indigenous communities, focusing on intergenerational trauma and cultural loss. They emphasize the crucial need for Canadians to acknowledge and confront the truth of residential schools for reconciliation. Tyler also discusses Indigenous storytelling and knowledge, providing guidance for non-Indigenous Canadians seeking to educate themselves further.
Guests:
Kaila Johnston (she/her) is the Supervisor of Education, Outreach, and Public Programming at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Kaila oversees matters related to the support of educators, the development of resources, the establishment of outreach initiatives, as well as public engagement on residential schools and their legacy. Before joining the NCTR, Kaila worked with the TRC as a statement gatherer and coordinator to support statement-gathering activities. She holds a BA (Hons.) in Criminal Justice from the University of Winnipeg and a MSc in International Crimes and Criminology from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.
Tyler Pennock (they/them) is a two-spirit (reconnected) adoptee from a Cree and Metis family around the Lesser Slave Lake region of Alberta, and is a member of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. They graduated from Guelph University’s Creative Writing MFA program in 2013, and from the University of Toronto's Indigenous Studies Specialist program in 2009. They spent over 12 years involved in Indigenous youth social work and Indigenous community development in the Toronto area prior to teaching. Their first Book, BONES (Brick Books) was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the Indigenous Voices Award for Poetry, and longlisted for the Raymond Souster Award in 2021. Their second book, BLOOD was released in September 2022.
Producers:
Andrew McKay, Elena Villabona Palomero
