As part of our strategic priorities and our committee’s commitment to reconciliation, the LCCEWA hosted a workshop on February 13th to learn how to write a meaningful Indigenous statement of acknowledgment. Following from the Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action (https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2091412-trc-calls-to-action.html), like many other groups in Canada who are trying to implement the principles of reconciliation with Indigenous nations, a land acknowledgment is often the first step.
The workshop delved into the problematic nature of land acknowledgments and informed participants on the steps needed including critical questions to ask, fact finding and sources, and suggestions for writing something meaningful.
The event was opened and closed by Indigenous Elder Tracey Whiteye. The workshop – The Trouble with Land Acknowledgments & Why We Should Write Them Anyway - was hosted by Denise Hampden, Regional Education Officer for Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Executive Director of the Handkerchief Project to End Violence Against Women and Girls and a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. The workshop is a direct extension of anti-bigotry, anti-colonialist, pro-feminist, and climate justice work that she has been doing in her union and community.