On February 1st, five members gathered to take part in a Webinar, 150 Acts of Reconciliation sponsored by CFUW National.
Professors Crystal Fraser and Sara Komarnisky presented the discussions around the celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday and what this meant to indigenous people. Crystal, a U of Alberta student, and Sara, a postdoctoral fellow, created a list of 150 Acts of Reconciliation that can be incorporated into our everyday lives. Many of these are small, acts that average Canadians can undertake, but others are more provocative and encourage people to think about Indigenous-settler relationships in new ways.
We would like to challenge our membership to engage in some of these acts. We have picked 7 items from the list and sometimes made small adaptations to the challenge. The full list of acts can be found here (link opens in new tab). We are aware that many groups are discussing these challenges and may have already taken action but we need to continue learning and take action to make reconciliation a reality.
- All – We read a territorial acknowledgement at each general meeting
- Challenge: A club volunteer reads this acknowledgement but adds one relevant sentence about this acknowledgement
- Book Clubs – as you select your next year’s books
- Challenge:
- Read an autobiography written by an Indigenous person
- Find a book that delves into Indigenous local History
- Challenge:
- All Interest Groups
- Challenge: Visit the Mohawk Residential School in Brantford
- All
- Challenge: Learn the difference between Indigenous, Aboriginal, First Nation, Metis and Inuit
- Challenge: Choose one plant or flower in your area and learn how Indigenous people use (d) it.
- Challenge: Visit local museums, particularly its section on Indigenous people. If it does not have one, ask staff why not?
- Challenge: Buy some books for your children/grandchildren that explain the histories and legacies of residential school cbc.ca/news/indigenous/10-books-about-residential-schools-to-read-with-your-kids-1.3208021
