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Speaking My Truth: Reflections on Reconciliation & Residential School
Speaking My Reflections on Reconciliation and Residential School (AHF 2013, eds. Shelagh Rogers, Mike DeGagné, Jonathan Dewar, Glen Lowry) is a collection of stories that looks at the history of Residential School and possibilities for reconciliation from the perspective First Nation, Inuit, and Metis peoples. Feature first-person accounts from survivors, intergenerational survivors, this new scholastic edition of Speaking My Truth builds seeks to provide students and educators with a resource for generating understanding and much-needed debate around difficult questions of Reconciliation among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada. Speaking My Truth has been selected from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation's (AHF) three-volume Truth and Reconciliation series, which includes Vol I From Truth to Reconciliation, Vol II Response, Responsibility, and Renewal, and Vol III Cultivating Canada.
Proceeds from the sale of this ebook subsidize the production and distribution of a scholastic print version that is available free of charge at
Proceeds from the sale of this ebook subsidize the production and distribution of a scholastic print version that is available free of charge at
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
13 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Shelagh Rogers
13 books13 followersShelagh Rogers, OC (born 1956) is a Canadian radio broadcaster based in Vancouver. She is the host of CBC Radio One's The Next Chapter. On May 29, 2014, she was announced as the chancellor-designate at the University of Victoria.
Rogers grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. She was the "Head Girl" at her high school, Lisgar Collegiate Institute. She played in the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and was a spare on the Reach for the Top team. Rogers began her career in broadcasting at CFRC, the campus radio station of Queen's University. She also worked at Kingston, Ontario's CKWS, hosting a country music program while still a student at Queen's. She later went on to produce a daily current affairs show and served as the station's weather reporter.
She graduated from Queen's University's arts program (Art history) in 1977. In 1980, Rogers joined CBC radio in Ottawa, hosting the local current affairs programs and jazz and classical music broadcasts. In 1982, she became host of the national classical concert program Mostly Music, although she had been the interim host during the summer and fall of 1981. She won an ACTRA Award in 1983 for Best Host/Interviewer.
In 1984, she moved to CBC radio's Toronto station. In addition to hosting local programs, she became a frequent contributor to many of the network's national programs, including Morningside and Basic Black. She was also the founding host of The Arts Tonight.
She became a frequent guest host of Morningside, and in 1995 the program's host and producer, Peter Gzowski, named Rogers the show's permanent guest host.
When Gzowski retired from the CBC in 1997, Rogers moved to CBC Radio Two as host of Take Five. (Morningside was replaced by This Morning, hosted in its first year by Michael Enright and Avril Benoit.) During this time, Rogers was also a contributor to TVOntario's book program Imprint, and host of Saturday Night at the Movies.
In 2000, Rogers returned to Radio One as host of This Morning, after Enright became host of The Sunday Edition. She hosted This Morning for two years, during which time she was awarded the John Drainie Award for making a significant contribution to broadcasting in Canada. In 2001, she received an honorary degree from the University of Western Ontario. In 2002, the CBC replaced This Morning with two morning shows, Sounds Like Canada and The Current (hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti).
Six months into the first season of Sounds Like Canada, Rogers took a short-term health leave from the CBC, dealing with extreme high blood pressure. She also acknowledged a longtime battle with depression. She was off for a few months and continued to host Sounds Like Canada after her return. In 2003 she moved, along with the show, to Vancouver, British Columbia
In June 2006, Rogers had her head shaved in Edmonton, showing support for a colleague with cancer while she raised money for cancer research.
Rogers left Sounds Like Canada at the end of May 2008, in part to deal with depression. The show ended its six-year run in September 2008 after being hosted by a series of guests. It was replaced by the rescheduled Q.
Rogers now hosts The Next Chapter, a new weekly show on Canadian writers and writing.
Rogers wrote the foreword to fellow broadcaster Max Ferguson's memoir of his life at the CBC, And Now... Here's Max. And authored Canada, published by Key Porter, featuring photographs by Mike Grandmaison. She received a Transforming Lives Award from CAM-H in 2008. In 2010 she received the Hero Award from the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario and an award from Native Counselling Services of Alberta for working on reconciliation. She was also named Ambassador at Large for the Canadian Canoe Museum.
In 2011, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for her contributions as a promoter of Canadian culture, and for her volunteer work in the fields of mental health and literacy".
Rogers grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. She was the "Head Girl" at her high school, Lisgar Collegiate Institute. She played in the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and was a spare on the Reach for the Top team. Rogers began her career in broadcasting at CFRC, the campus radio station of Queen's University. She also worked at Kingston, Ontario's CKWS, hosting a country music program while still a student at Queen's. She later went on to produce a daily current affairs show and served as the station's weather reporter.
She graduated from Queen's University's arts program (Art history) in 1977. In 1980, Rogers joined CBC radio in Ottawa, hosting the local current affairs programs and jazz and classical music broadcasts. In 1982, she became host of the national classical concert program Mostly Music, although she had been the interim host during the summer and fall of 1981. She won an ACTRA Award in 1983 for Best Host/Interviewer.
In 1984, she moved to CBC radio's Toronto station. In addition to hosting local programs, she became a frequent contributor to many of the network's national programs, including Morningside and Basic Black. She was also the founding host of The Arts Tonight.
She became a frequent guest host of Morningside, and in 1995 the program's host and producer, Peter Gzowski, named Rogers the show's permanent guest host.
When Gzowski retired from the CBC in 1997, Rogers moved to CBC Radio Two as host of Take Five. (Morningside was replaced by This Morning, hosted in its first year by Michael Enright and Avril Benoit.) During this time, Rogers was also a contributor to TVOntario's book program Imprint, and host of Saturday Night at the Movies.
In 2000, Rogers returned to Radio One as host of This Morning, after Enright became host of The Sunday Edition. She hosted This Morning for two years, during which time she was awarded the John Drainie Award for making a significant contribution to broadcasting in Canada. In 2001, she received an honorary degree from the University of Western Ontario. In 2002, the CBC replaced This Morning with two morning shows, Sounds Like Canada and The Current (hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti).
Six months into the first season of Sounds Like Canada, Rogers took a short-term health leave from the CBC, dealing with extreme high blood pressure. She also acknowledged a longtime battle with depression. She was off for a few months and continued to host Sounds Like Canada after her return. In 2003 she moved, along with the show, to Vancouver, British Columbia
In June 2006, Rogers had her head shaved in Edmonton, showing support for a colleague with cancer while she raised money for cancer research.
Rogers left Sounds Like Canada at the end of May 2008, in part to deal with depression. The show ended its six-year run in September 2008 after being hosted by a series of guests. It was replaced by the rescheduled Q.
Rogers now hosts The Next Chapter, a new weekly show on Canadian writers and writing.
Rogers wrote the foreword to fellow broadcaster Max Ferguson's memoir of his life at the CBC, And Now... Here's Max. And authored Canada, published by Key Porter, featuring photographs by Mike Grandmaison. She received a Transforming Lives Award from CAM-H in 2008. In 2010 she received the Hero Award from the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario and an award from Native Counselling Services of Alberta for working on reconciliation. She was also named Ambassador at Large for the Canadian Canoe Museum.
In 2011, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for her contributions as a promoter of Canadian culture, and for her volunteer work in the fields of mental health and literacy".
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 9, 2015
An important account of the Canadian past which also accounts for some present, continuing injustices
"Rather than bringing the past to life [some statements from apologies] seem to break our link with history, separating us from who we were and promoting the notion of our moral advancement. They also whitewash the ways in which Canadians still benefit from that past, stripping the apologies of remorse. Rendering them meaningless. Forgettable."
"Rather than bringing the past to life [some statements from apologies] seem to break our link with history, separating us from who we were and promoting the notion of our moral advancement. They also whitewash the ways in which Canadians still benefit from that past, stripping the apologies of remorse. Rendering them meaningless. Forgettable."
November 30, 2014
Extremely enlightening. Learned so much from this short, heartfelt collection of essays and reflections on the past, democracy, colonialism, and mainly reconciliation: what does it mean? Why does it matter? How does it fit in the broader attempt to go from a racist, destructive colonial relationship between two peoples towards a respectful, harmonious one...
October 27, 2017
I think it's an important read for all Canadians. This part of our history is so often glossed over and attempts made to forget it.
Some of the essays are about what it was like, while others are more aimed at if the Indigenous people feel that the governments actions and "apology" have done anything towards bringing healing to Canada's Indigenous community
Some of the essays are about what it was like, while others are more aimed at if the Indigenous people feel that the governments actions and "apology" have done anything towards bringing healing to Canada's Indigenous community
October 25, 2013
This book dealt with very difficult issues. This may be Canada but a lot of our true history never made it into our history books or was ever taught in our classrooms. Difficult to understand how one human being can treat another human being so badly for their own gains. Worth reading.
June 7, 2017
Essential to anyone attempting to understand this violent aspect of assimilation. .Just the stories-read them and weep.
November 19, 2017
Powerful oral history about the forced removal of Native American children in Canada to residential schools away from their families, language and traditions.
March 5, 2018
Interesting, entertaining and enlightening.
September 9, 2019
3.5 stars. It is difficult to rate this collection of testomonies from First Nations people as they are true and it is important to hear from as many individuals as possible. You shouldn't have to be a previous writer in order to contribute to something like this. And I would have given it a solid 4 stars but, some portions (which again are exerts from larger essays I imagine) tended to come off as (I am one to do in my university days) "Academic fluff". It was strictly two writers pieces truthfully and they tend to use academic-y sentences that could have been shortened. It threw off the flow for me as I had to re-read it. Some of these stories were so poignant and heartbreaking and I also came out of this wanting to read more works from some of the writers.
It is an important read and good stepping stone for those like me who have no First Nations lineage and removed from learning the truth of this country's history. I did aquire this book in my University days so I am hopeful others like me will be more educated and have an understanding of this communities process toward reconcilitation.
It is an important read and good stepping stone for those like me who have no First Nations lineage and removed from learning the truth of this country's history. I did aquire this book in my University days so I am hopeful others like me will be more educated and have an understanding of this communities process toward reconcilitation.
October 31, 2022
Every Canadians should read this book.
A black eyes for Canada.
this is so sad, the white man are the worst ,almost every catastrophe was a white man involve.
Politic and Religion, Human use it as excuse to do bad things, gave them too much power, that can be dangerous. WE treat Immigrant's better ,then we treat the Native of this country/
A black eyes for Canada.
this is so sad, the white man are the worst ,almost every catastrophe was a white man involve.
Politic and Religion, Human use it as excuse to do bad things, gave them too much power, that can be dangerous. WE treat Immigrant's better ,then we treat the Native of this country/
January 24, 2020
Despite my rating this book a 3, anyone in North America should read either this or another book about the Indian Residential Schools of Canada.
Read
November 20, 2021读了几篇，一些节选的随笔集，不成体系。而且读受害者陈述也是要有勇气的。暂时先不读了。对residential school了解了一些了。
September 7, 2013
3.25 stars
This wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be stories of First Nations people who were removed from their families and homes and placed in residential schools, where they were forced to forget their languages and cultures (and some were abused). Some of it was that, but there was more. Some stories were not from the POV of the person who was at the school, but by their children, and how they were affected, as well. There were also reactions to apologies from the government, and it not only included First Nations, but also Japanese-Canadians and Chinese-Canadians.
Initially, I was a bit disappointed in what the book actually was. I did get over that, though, and found most of it interesting. As is always the case with me for essays/short stories, some were more interesting than others, so there were a few where I just wasn't all that interested. I think a lot of what I read was stuff I'd already heard about, though I had no idea residential schools were around for nearly as long as they were! I remember hearing about them being around in the 50s and 60s, but they were there way before that and the last one closed on the 1990s. Probably the most interesting stories for me were the ones written by authors, especially the one by Drew Hayden Taylor.
This wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be stories of First Nations people who were removed from their families and homes and placed in residential schools, where they were forced to forget their languages and cultures (and some were abused). Some of it was that, but there was more. Some stories were not from the POV of the person who was at the school, but by their children, and how they were affected, as well. There were also reactions to apologies from the government, and it not only included First Nations, but also Japanese-Canadians and Chinese-Canadians.
Initially, I was a bit disappointed in what the book actually was. I did get over that, though, and found most of it interesting. As is always the case with me for essays/short stories, some were more interesting than others, so there were a few where I just wasn't all that interested. I think a lot of what I read was stuff I'd already heard about, though I had no idea residential schools were around for nearly as long as they were! I remember hearing about them being around in the 50s and 60s, but they were there way before that and the last one closed on the 1990s. Probably the most interesting stories for me were the ones written by authors, especially the one by Drew Hayden Taylor.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews