Home About News June is Pride month and National Indigenous History Month.

June is Pride month and National Indigenous History Month.

May. 31 2024

June is Pride month and National Indigenous History Month

United for Literacy celebrates our 2SLGBTQ+ and Indigenous employees, volunteers, learners, partners and supporters. We honour and celebrate everyone who identifies as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and all other identities of gender or sexual expression. We commemorate the history, heritage, and diversity of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit People in Canada. We work collaboratively with these communities to create programs that are respectful of the needs of everyone. Using an individualized approach to learning means that learners read books and use resources that are meaningful to them. We are also committed to using language that is respectful of the vast array of people we connect with every day.

Imagery for Pride and National Indigenous month

To mark these occasions, we have compiled a list of links to organizations that have curated lists of books to read:

For Pride Month:

25 Canadian books to read for Pride Month, from CBC.
Pride Month Booklist, from The Canadian Children's Book Centre.
52 books to celebrate Pride Month 2024, from Bloomsbury.

For National Indigenous History Month:

30 must-read books to learn about the Indigenous experience in North America, from CBC.
Celebrate First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Native American voices, from Simon & Schuster.
17 books for kids and young adults to read for National Indigenous History Month, from CBC.

Here are two more learning opportunities:

Understanding Indigenous History: A Path Forward Presented by the University Canada West (UCW). A series available on Youtube.
Decolonizing Workplace Practices, Presented by Inclusivity in collaboration with Len Pierre Consulting, on June 12th, 2024, from 1:30 to 2:30 pm

We encourage everyone to explore these resources to deepen their understanding and appreciation of these communities and their contributions.

2024 marks United for Literacy's 125th anniversary. From the organization’s very beginning, we have worked from the perspective that literacy is a tool for social change and equity. Just as we are always working to create positive change in the lives of our learners, the communities we work in, and Canada as a whole, we also grow and change to demonstrate our “All Welcome” philosophy in action.

Since 2005, our organization has hired and trained local community members to integrate local cultures, languages, and traditions into our programs. Committed to reconciliation, we adopt the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples and support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

United for Literacy emphasizes the critical role of literacy in fostering equitable communities and invites everyone to join in their mission of continuous learning and reflection. Learn more about our history and the actions we are taking by visiting "our story" page.