Windsor Law LLM student Stephanie Pangowish was interviewed by CBC Windsor in observance of Orange Shirt Day and the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada: September 30, 2021. The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
"In elementary school, [there was] also some teasing about Indigenous heritage and Indigenous culture that caused me to shy away and feel shame," she said. That shame resulted in her backing away from opportunities to learn the languages of her communities. But after experiencing difficulty and trauma in life, and something of an identity crisis, she reconnected with her background as a Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe woman.