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Showing posts from February, 2018

KDocs 2018: Birth of a Family, Workers' Voices and Delores

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I saw the line up of the KDocs Film Festival and knew I wanted to take in a few of these docs. For $5 a film, it was a great deal and access to films I normally wouldn't be able to see. So here's the lowdown on what I saw!  Birth of a Family - Directed by Tamara Hubbard Prior to the showing of the film we were treated to a mini lecture by Dr. Raven Sinclair, a social worker by trade and Associate Professor at the University of Regina, member of the Gordon Nation on Treaty 4 territory in Saskatchewan.  She gave us the context for the "Sixties Scoop," also known as "Indian child removal system." I will say it again - I'm always very grateful and humbled when indigenous people generously share their truth and experiences, no matter how difficult and painful their memories and stories are. She shared her history of being adopted out and then only was it when she went to university that it enabled her contextualize her experience in Canada and indige

Cultural Inheritances, Justice for Colten and Women's Memorial March

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As seen on the corner of Main and Cordova on February 14th For the past few years I've made it a personal priority to learn more about indigenous and First Nations issues in our country - the history, politics, art, culture, governance systems and everything in between. It's daunting. I went to school in an era that didn't have any of this in the curriculum - we learned about European history, a little ancient history, a little Canadian (settler colonialist history) history but never much about Canada's dark past when it comes to our real history.  I've attended a number of forums and events and read a few books about residential schools and reconciliation. I also made sure to read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action to see where they fit into my work and personal lives. I've also read the UNDRIP. Now we have a Ministry in government of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation! I went to a reception at the BC Cabinet and First N