Carey Newman says his own family history - marked by privilege on one side, and dispossession on the other - reflects the tensions that surround reconciliation.
At a University of Toronto-wide commemoration of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, Newman recounted how those contrasts have shaped him and the work he does as a multi-disciplinary artist, carver, filmmaker, author and public speaker.
He traced how land grants to settlers in Saskatchewan gave his mother's family financial stability across generations. On his father's side, members of the Kwakwakaʼwakw and Stó:lō Nations were displaced from their land and continue to live with the legacy of colonial policies.
"When we talk about reconciliation - when we talk about the work we have to do here - you wonder sometimes, how does that affect me personally?" said Newman, the event's keynote speaker.
"In my life, I can see how it's both benefited and harmed, depending on which side of the family tree I'm looking at."
This perspective has informed Newman's artistic endeavours, which include Witness Blanket , a 40-foot installation built from items reclaimed from residential schools and Totem 2.0 , which reimagines carving traditions with sustainable materials.
Attendees packed Hart House's Great Hall while others tuned in via livestream across U of T's three campuses. Many wore orange shirts featuring noojimo'iwe, an award-winning design by MJ Singleton, an Ojibwe, two-spirit student from Migisi Sahgaigan First Nation studying at U of T Mississauga.
The commemoration was organized by the tri-campus Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Offices of Indigenous Initiatives at U of T Mississauga and U of T Scarborough, First Nations House Indigenous Student Services and Hart House.
U of T President Melanie Woodin said the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a time to reflect on the lasting impacts of residential schools, whose legacy of trauma and loss continues to affect survivors, their families and communities across generations.
"As Canadians, we are only beginning to confront the truth with the honesty and urgency it demands," she said. "Reconciliation is not a single act or moment. It is a sustained commitment."
Woodin went on to underscore the university's pledge to listen, learn and act in partnership with Indigenous community members.
Attendees and viewers also heard from David Kim, warden of Hart House, who welcomed community members and opened proceedings, U of T Mississauga student Tiffany Da Silva, who delivered a land acknowledgement and Linda Johnston, U of T vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, who delivered remarks.
Across the three campuses, flags - including the Survivors' Flag - were lowered to half-mast in memory of the children who never returned home from residential schools.
On the St. George campus, a ceremonial fire was held at Ziibiing , the Indigenous teaching and gathering space, while U of T Libraries hosted a book club on Tanya Talaga's The Knowing at the OISE Library.
At U of T Scarborough, community members came together around a fire on the Tipi Grounds on Sept. 29.
U of T Mississauga will host the All-Nations Powwow on Oct. 4, coinciding with Sisters in Spirit Day, which remembers, raises awareness of and calls for justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.
