McMaster University is joining communities across the country in recognizing National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. The day is an opportunity to honour survivors of residential schools, remember the children who never returned home, and reflect on the role each of us can play in advancing reconciliation.
To support participation and reflection, all classes at McMaster will be cancelled on September 30. The university will remain open, and it will be a regular workday for faculty and staff.
Central to the annual commemoration is Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement born from the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at a residential school. Since then, the orange shirt has become a widely recognized symbol of the loss of culture, freedom, and sense of self experienced by children in residential schools.
The 2025 winning design by Talon Singleton.
To mark this year’s campaign, Indigenous Student Services and the McMaster Campus Store invited local Indigenous student artists and recent graduates to design the 2025 Orange Shirt that will be sold on McMaster’s campus. The shirts are available for purchase through the Campus Store, with proceeds supporting the Survivors’ Secretariat.
The winning design comes from Talon Singleton, a third-year Media Arts student from Migisi Sahaigan First Nation, Treaty #3. His artwork, now featured on this year’s shirts, reflects both resilience and hope.
“My thinking behind this design is a young child who stands strong with their culture,” Singleton explains.
“The braid blowing forward shows the strength to move ahead, while the Sun symbolizes life and hope. The flower serves as a reminder of residential schools and the children taken from their families. Yet it blossoms beautifully as a sign of resilience, identity, and the enduring strength of survivors.”
The day – and the month leading up to it – is a time for both collective learning and personal reflection.
“As a university, we have a responsibility to learn, to listen, and to act,” says Susan Tighe, president and vice-chancellor.
“Truth and reconciliation requires ongoing commitment, and McMaster is dedicated to creating spaces where Indigenous voices, histories, and knowledges are honoured.”
Vanessa Watts is the acting chair of the Indigenous Studies Department, associate professor of Indigenous Studies and Sociology, and acting co-chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Communications Committee at McMaster. To her, the day serves as both a solemn reminder and a hopeful affirmation.
“National Day for Truth and Reconciliation allows us to acknowledge the truths of Canada’s colonial history, while also amplifying the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples. It is a time to support survivors, honour their stories, and envision a more just future built in partnership.”
Maureen MacDonald, provost and vice-president (Academic), stresses the importance of sustained effort.
“This is an invitation for all of us to pause and reflect, but also to recognize that reconciliation is year-round work. It is about building stronger relationships and deepening our understanding through education and dialogue.”
To support this commitment, below are a series of events, resources, and opportunities for dialogue throughout the month of September, culminating on September 30. Members of the campus community are encouraged to attend an event, take part in reflection, and join in this important journey of learning and reconciliation.
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation: Book Displays at McMaster Libraries
Date & Location:
- September 1 – October 3, 2025 – Mills Library (2nd floor, near Learning Commons), Thode Library (1st floor)
- September 22 – October 10, 2025 – Health Sciences Library (Upper Level, near Indigenous Health Collection)
Description: The McMaster University Libraries will have book displays available in all three locations (Mills, Thode & Health Sciences libraries), which feature books about Indigenous peoples’ identity, culture, and history, particularly regarding residential schools & their lasting impact. All books featured on the displays will be available for borrowing. You can view our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation featured collection here.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
Organizers: McMaster University Libraries
Bannock Bowls at La Piazza
Date: September 22 – September 30, 2025
Location: La Piazza
Description: An Indigenous bowl menu will run from September 22 to September 30 at the Global Delights station at La Piazza.
Who Should Attend: The station is open to the entire McMaster community and anyone else who would like to try these dishes.
Organizers: Hospitality Department, Chef John Barreda and Liana Bontempo Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships.
Literature in the Lounge
Date: September 22 – October 3, 2025
Location: Wellness Lounge, PGCLL 201
Description: In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30 and inspired by this curated collection at the Health Sciences Library (HSL), the Wellness Lounge will feature a selection of literature. Students visiting the lounge are invited to explore short stories and graphic novels that reflect on the ongoing impact of residential schools, explore themes of truth and reconciliation, and offer insights on how to reflect these values in daily life.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
Organizers: Student Wellness Centre
“This is not my story, but yours”: Memory, Family, and the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School
Date: September 24, 2025
Location: LRW 1003
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Description: The Indigenous Studies Department invites you to a presentation by Rick Monture, entitled “This is not my story, but yours”: Memory, Family, and the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School”.
Who Should Attend: Everyone. Register here.
Organizers: Indigenous Studies Department
Book Launch for Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s Longest-Running Residential School
Date: September 26, 2025
Location: LRW 2001
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Description: The Wilson Institute for Canadian History and Indigenous Studies Department are pleased to announce the book launch for “Behind the Bricks: The Life and Times of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s Longest-Running Residential School.” Behind the Bricks “is the story of the Mohawk Institute, Canada’s first and longest-running residential school and a model for the entire residential school system.” Edited by Richard W. Hill Sr., Alison Norman, Thomas Peace and Jennifer Pettit. Light refreshments will be served. Registration for this event is required using this link.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
Organizers: Co-sponsored by the Wilson Institute for Canadian History and the Department of Indigenous Studies.
Truth & Reconciliation Marauder Game Day
Date: September 26, 2025
Location: Ron Joyce Stadium
Time: Women’s soccer starts at 6:00 p.m. and men’s soccer starts at 8:00 p.m.
Description: Join McMaster’s Indigenous Student Athlete Council for the McMaster men’s and women’s soccer games. This event aims to commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, while celebrating the sports community’s commitment to reconciliation and Indigenous support. The event will include Indigenous vendors, orange t-shirt sales, as well as the launch of McMaster’s new Indigenized logo.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
Organizers: Indigenous Student-Athlete Council & McMaster’s Athletics & Recreation (Varsity) Department
“Walking Through the Fire: Visual Album” Film Screening and Discussion
Date: September 27, 2025
Location: LIVELab, Psychology Building 202, McMaster University
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Description: Walking Through the Fire won “Best Musical Film” and “Best Soundtrack” at the Cannes World Film Festival. Walking Through the Fire: Visual Album is a visually stunning and transformative blend of interviews and music video that brings the magic of collaboration to the screen, with award-winning First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists from across Turtle Island working together with 3x JUNO nominees and Billboard charting Sultans of String to create something extraordinary.
Who Should Attend: Everyone. Get tickets here.
Organizers: LIVELab with Sultans of String
‘Bones of Crows’ Film Screenings & Indigenous Artisan Market
Date: September 30, 2025
Location: Landmark Cinemas in Hamilton, St. Catharines and Waterloo
- Landmark Cinemas 6 Jackson Square, 2 King St. West, Hamilton
- Landmark Cinemas 10 Penn Centre, 221 Glendale Ave., St. Catharines
- Landmark Cinemas Waterloo, 415 The Broadwalk, Waterloo
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Description: The Indigenous Health Learning Lodge, in partnership with the Undergraduate Medical Education Program, is hosting free screenings of the Indigenous film, Bones of Crows. The screenings will take place at Landmark Cinemas locations in Hamilton, St. Catharines and Waterloo. In addition to the screening, Indigenous artisan markets will be set up at the Hamilton and St. Catharines locations. While the screenings are free, attendees are asked to bring donations of menstrual products and diapers to be donated to local charities.
Who Should Attend: FHS faculty, staff and students and Indigenous communities. Registration details: Hamilton, St. Catharines, Waterloo
Organizers: , in partnership with the Undergraduate Medical Education Program in the Faculty of Health Sciences
Indigenous Planetarium Shows
Date & Time: September 30 – October 2, 2025. Details here.
Location: W. J. McCallion Planetarium
Description: Join us for a fascinating show that blends local culture, history, and modern-day astronomy that shares the Six Nation’s sky lore and language through traditional indigenous night-sky stories. With narration and visuals by a live presentation and pre-recorded excerpts (in English, Mohawk, and Cayuga),
The Celestial Bear: The Six Nations’ Night Sky – Learn about the story of the bear and the brothers and how it is retold every year with the rotating patterns in the night sky.
Onekwá:tara – the Seven Dancers of the Pleiades – Learn about the story and how the story is portrayed in the night sky. See the same stars with a completely different understanding and appreciation! These shows were collaboratively produced by members of the Six Nations, McMaster’s Indigenous Studies Program, and the McCallion Planetarium.
In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, all funds from today’s ticket sales will go to a local Indigenous non-profit organization.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
Organizers: McMaster Planetarium
Food Forest Planting
Date: September 30, 2025
Location: Parking Lot P
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Description: Please help us increase native biodiversity and enhance a food forest full of plants that have traditional value to local indigenous communities! This project is a part of our ongoing restoration of the northern portion of McMaster University’s Lower Campus. This is a historically disturbed area, overgrown with invasive species and covered with dead ash trees. This restoration work will also benefit both the university community and the public by providing opportunities for education, research, and recreation. Register here.
Who Should Attend: Everyone
Organizers: Nature at McMaster
Indigenous Astronomy: as told by the Haudenosaunee
Date: October 2, 2025
Time: 5:45 p.m.- 6:45 p.m.
Location: W. J. McCallion Planetarium
Description: Samantha Doxtator, a personal development consultant, will deliver a special live presentation including discussions on the Sun, the Moon, planets, constellations, galaxies, and more! Doxtator has worked with many organizations across Indigenous Country, with an intention to enhance original ways of knowing, and to nurture; intergenerational gifts, creativity, and innovation.
Who Should Attend: Everyone. Book tickets here.
Organizers: McMaster Planetarium
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