Observing the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation on Twitter

The National Day for Truth & Reconciliation is coming up this Friday, September 30. 

Also known as ‘Orange Shirt Day’, this important observance for all people in Canada is an opportunity to listen, learn and reflect on the Canadian Indian residential school system. It’s a day that evokes painful memories for many but also, hope for a greater understanding and brighter future for communities across our country.

For years, Twitter has been home to conversations about Truth & Reconciliation, long before the observance was first established in 2013 and made a statutory holiday in 2021. It’s a dialogue that has layers of complexity, delivered by the important Indigenous voices who use our service plus community leaders, policy makers and Canadians looking to educate themselves. 

As a starting point, we have a Twitter event page that will feature some key Tweets about the observance. In addition, here are some other ways you can use Twitter to listen and learn from these conversations on September 30 and year-round. 

Key hashtags are a good place to start. In 2021, #TruthandReconciliation, #OrangeShirtDay and #EveryChildMatters were the three primary hashtags used in Tweets about the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. There was also the 🧡 -- the most used Twitter emoji in Tweets about the day in 2021. 

There are other hashtags that speak to some of the most important topics within our Indigenous communities. #MMIWG and #MMIWG2S appear in Tweets about missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people. There is also the iconic #IdleNoMore -- a hashtag with roots that go back more than a decade. This hashtag has been used as a unifier in conversations about legislative reform and broader injustices within Indigenous communities.  

Hashtags can also be used to learn more from conversations about contemporary Indigenous culture. #IndigenousReads, #ReadIndigenous and #IndigenousArt are three examples of hashtags that will unlock dialogue and content about literature, visual art and other creative content.

Following Indigenous media outlets on Twitter will also guide you to journalists and writers from across Canada. Publications such as the Windspeaker (@windspeakernews), First Nations Drum (@1stNationsDrum) and Turtle Island News (@newsattheturtle) appear on this Twitter List of Indigenous media outlets. 

The National Day for Truth & Reconciliation is an important day for all Canadians but its themes need to be part of our national dialogue 365 days a year. Let the Indigenous conversation on Twitter be part of that dialogue today and beyond.