James Bartleman
Residential Schools: Have we forgotten our responsibility?
Wednesday, June 1, 2021
7:45 to 8:55
Edmund Casey Hall, Ted Daigle Auditorium
James Bartleman has spent over 35 years of his career in diplomatic service around the globe. But, closest to his heart is an issue much nearer to home - the future of young Aboriginal Canadians. A member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, Bartleman has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about mental illness, literacy and education on reserves. As Ontario’s first Aboriginal Lieutenant Governor, he founded the Lieutenant-Governor’s Book Program and sent over 1 million used books to First Nations schools in Ontario.
During his Big Thinking lecture, Bartleman will ask what is the impact of the residential school experience on Aboriginal youth? How can we overcome the epidemic of suicide in Aboriginal communities? How will we empower these young people to succeed?
He is the author of four best-selling books of non-fiction. His first novel, dealing with the intergenerational impact of the residential school experience on native youth, As Long as the Rivers Flow, was published been issued by Knopf February 2011.
