Anishinaabe activist speaks to Belleville-area teachers on reconciliation
Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe activist from Peguis First Nation, Man., spoke to Belleville-area teachers and students at Loyalist College’s Alumni Hall Monday. The idea of reconciliation, he said, is to commit to other people even if you disagree with them. Photo by Mariia Khanenko, QNet News
BELLEVILLE – Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe author, activist and professor, spoke about truth and reconciliation on Monday at Loyalist College.
“Reconciliation is about committing to other people even when sometimes you disagree with them. It’s about staying at the table, staying committed in the spirit of friendship and family, and never leaving somebody alone,” Sinclair told an audience of teachers, students and members of the public.
He spoke in front of a full crowd for over two hours about the importance of focusing what’s in front of us, not the past.
“Reconciliation is understanding that we are all in this together. We have to figure out a way to live together. And that means we have to undo violent policies; we have to undo huge exploitation of the land. At the same time, we have to live equitably – meaning we have to live fairly according to the promises that we made to live together under the treaties. We have to live in such a way that we have to think about the future, not the past.”
The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board organized the event. As part of Sinclair’s visit to Belleville, there were two days of sessions with 100 teachers each. They talked about truth and reconciliation inside and outside the classroom.
Brian Davis, a Stirling resident, who attended Monday’s speech said he thought Sinclair was great: “He was funny, he was informative, he brought real feeling with him about the subject and issues that face Indigenous people and the rest of Canadians as well.”
Sinclair is a former high school teacher who is now an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba.
Being a former teacher helps when he is talking to other educators, he said.
“I think teachers appreciate when you are a teacher. You’ve been in the trenches. You know what it’s like to do lesson plans. You know what a school day is like.”
Stephanie Taylor, a principal at Prince Charles School in Belleville, and her son, Jaxon Harvui, came to listen to Sinclair’s speech.
“There was no way I was missing an opportunity to hear him speak, so that’s why I am here this evening,” Taylor said.
Jaxon said he wanted to come because it’s a topic he’s interested in.
“I did a speech a couple of years ago on residential schools and how they affected the First Nations communities. So I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to go.’ ”
Sinclair worked with over 1,500 educators last year and currently travels across Canada to keep the conversation about reconciliation going.
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