Present.
Overview of Project activities
Combatting Discrimination & Racism Against Indigenous Peoples in Calgary
This project represents a grassroots commitment that the Calgary Indigenous Human Rights Circle has tirelessly and relentlessly fought to uphold since their inception in 2005.
This is not merely about resilience – as that does not adequately reflect the efforts and strength they have upheld to ensure that the work continues in the face of multiple barriers. This is about understanding the power of legacy – the legacy of the past, how it impacts the present and how it affects our vision of the future, for our future generations.
Submitted by Monique Fry
What People Are Saying
“I am working to ‘normalize’ conversations of anti-indigenous racism in all circles of my life - among work colleagues, friends, acquaintances, clients and family”
“Human Resources as the heartbeat of organizational structure and any legal counsel were absent. There was frontline participation in excess but need the analysts and legal entities to hear about systemic racism and how their archaic structures add to it. Frontline participants only add to improving optics with no substance.”
“More knowledge on how to de-escalate situations and know who to contact if I am unable to fully help on my own, what are the steps I could take to respond in a way that is safe for the individual experiencing racism and myself.”
“I would like to read local case studies of successful interventions in each of these areas. Especially policy change. I worry that those making policy decisions are holding power and won't make effective policy change, I wonder what other creative ways we can leverage to ensure policy changes are ethical and community lead.”
“Involving health and wellness from the medical and psychological perspective with focus on trauma generated from Indian Residential Schools.”
The Indigenous Human Rights Circle has existed in one form or another for over 15 years.
It was born out of necessity to ensure that the foundational cultural, spiritual and inherent rights of Indigenous peoples in Calgary were being upheld. It was created in recognition that all the circles and sectors have elements of human rights at the center of their being. This required a deeper understanding of the foundational framework of human rights from an Indigenous perspective.
The foundational frameworks of most import have been the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action.
Despite the years of advancing conversations and use of these foundational documents, we are not as far ahead as we should be as a community in Calgary to understanding how to use these frameworks to combat anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination in our city.
Give Away & Call to Witness
Near the end of this project, I called the Human Rights Circle together to provide space for them to self-evaluate the work that they held in this project. I started with smudge, in ceremony and prayer, describing the circle process to include everyone’s equal opportunity to contribute.
This humble group is quick to acknowledge the hard work of those not present in the circle today who paved the way for this work to continue, including Marilyn North Peigan and the many volunteers from years past that were part of the original CUAI Domains and Listening Circles.
Attendance in the Circle Evaluation was Cindy Provost, Jacie Alook, Cam Stewart, and Elaine Ward. We met with Grandmother Spence on a separate occasion to get her feedback on the same questions and some of their responses are noted below:
How do you feel the legacy of this work has formed and can continue?
Experiencing a lot more of our Indigenous leaders being more educated and insightful, and far more willing and open to unite. We are very resilient people and can adapt to any situation and environment. Any work we have done can only get stronger and more impactful.
Hopeful it will continue. Can see the potential if we partnered with somebody like the Rotary Club or a non-profit organization to umbrella under them to continue the work.
-Grandmother
Of all the activities over the course of the project, what was most impactful, to you and to the community at large?
The December circle held space for a lot of great discussions. Listening is sacred – the honour of holding space, being in circle, and being able to hear the stories. Self-reflection – on how it resonates with myself and my children in our journey. Empowered – to use my voice more and more after hearing others share their own stories.
-Jacie
Workshops: Being able to come together and forgive the abusers. Being aware of the different stories. Note-taking is not just passive listening – you are also learning and witnessing.
-Elaine
Where do you feel the most work still needs to be done?
Both organizational and personal journeys – decolonizing both their own viewpoints and their organizations;
Adding more Indigenous content (Indigenize) that is led by Indigenous peoples;
Developing a larger group of people changing, supporting and allowing Indigenous people to lead the conversations. Most of the growth will be in non-Indigenous people.
-Group summary
Where would you like the direction of this work in the Human Rights Circle to go in the next year?
Engage in different forms of outreach to reach more people, such as campaigns, art, podcasts, grassroot groups, equity-seeking groups, website creation, and cultural mediator roles to help achieve the vision.
Bridging and/or partnering with younger generations. Including their voices is vital to move the work forward and modernize it, empowering and growing those voices that want and need to be heard.
There is a lot of interest out there – how do we support their voices to address human rights? How do we curate it? Both young voices and older voices. The pandemic has forced everyone to move virtual, which has actually encouraged the joining of more forces sometimes. However, membership has not grown.
Find the commonalities in the narratives. Connecting on a broader scale in relation to our collective stories – looking beyond the BLM movement, newcomers, and Indigenous peoples.
Being bold in relations to legacy.
-Group summary
The highlight is to shine light on the Importance of collaborative work – no one single place/person holds all of the information or work to date completed. We need to continuously look at the opportunity and grants/funding available to move this work forward and to achieve the next steps.
Next generation. Visionaries.