Location
Why this workshop:
Central to the Canada's history is the story of dispossession, assimilation, and genocide of the Indigenous peoples who have lived on this land since time immemorial, and their continued resistance and survival. Non-Indigenous people learn a spotty version of these stories in Canadian schools -- often romanticizing Indigenous cultures as historical artifacts, or treating Canada's crimes as things of the past that have been overcome and replaced with an "enlightened" multiculturalism and celebration of Indigenous peoples' place in Canada. But the project of assimilation, termination, and extinguishment of Indigenous peoples and their rights, including land rights, continues today. We will be looking at at this ongoing history and talk about some of the ways Indigenous Peoples and supporters can work to decolonize Indigenous-Canadian relations.
Who this workshop is for:
This workshop is for people who want to learn more about the history of Indigenous-Canada relations, and who are interested in supporting Indigenous struggles. The workshop is especially intended for non-Indigenous people, but all are welcome. It is intended as a first step towards developing the skills and consciousness needed to do solidarity work. The workshop will include a range of activities and methods.
Relevance to activists and frontline workers:
Indigenous issues are often lumped in with broader anti-racism work, or framed in terms of poverty and the need for service provision. While those approaches have some validity, they miss the central cause of the social trauma experienced by Indigenous peoples: Canada's ongoing attempt to terminate Indigenous peoples, destroy their economies and cultures, and take their land. This workshop aims to foster consciousness of this process, and of the vast range of experiences and perspectives of Canada's different Indigenous peoples, ranging from bush life to city life, as well as looking at the ways we can constructively support Indigenous struggles.
Workshop delivered by:
The workshop will be delivered by Corvin Russell, a non-Indigenous activist and educator who has worked on many Indigenous solidarity projects, including co-organizing the Defenders of the Land gathering of first nations in land struggle in Winnipeg last year.
Suggested donation for the workshop is $5-$20 but no one who has RSVP'd will be turned away for lack of funds.
RSVP to corvinr@gmail.com. If possible, please include a little bit about yourself: why you are interested in this workshop; any relevant background, including work on Indigenous issues or decolonization, trainings you may have attended (including anti-racism trainings), and so on. This will help with planning of the workshop.
Sponsored by Centre for Social Justice and Socialist Project
