AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Resources for Accountability and Reconciliation
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
You are welcome to use the outline of the document prepared below, but finding your own words will be beneficial for both you and for our MLAs. Your voice is important, sit with your feelings, try to find words to express them, and remember the goal of this is to engage our government with action relating directly to justice, reparations, and reconciliation.
Find your local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and write to them.
Write to the Premiere of BC, John Horgan, and demand he and the NDP work with municipal and federal structures of power to start to accomplish the calls to action as laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
CONTACT YOUR CHURCH
As with contacting government, you are welcome to use the document prepared below. However, you may have unique feelings and insight into this and there is power in you finding your own words to connect with your specific faith organization.
RESOURCES
Find out who's unceded territory you live, work, and rest on through Native Land
Donate to and find more information and resources at Indian Residential School Survivors Society
Donate to and connect with the First Nations Health Authority
Connect with the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
Read and engage with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
Read and engage with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report: Reclaiming Power and Place
Find more resources and places of connection through Indian Horse #NEXT150 challenge
DOCUMENTS FOR USE
These are documents that you can use by entering the pertinent information (your info, whom you are writing to), or something you can use as a starting place to craft your own letter to members of government and the faith community.
Letter to Christian Organizations/Churches
Letter to Government Officials
List of Resources for Affirmative Action and Reconciliation to include with your letters to government and church officials
CONTUING THE DIALOGUE
Please feel very welcome to reach out to Sarah Newland, owner and operator of Newland Art Therapy, if you have critiques, comments, or additional resources to share.
As a white descendant of colonizers, Sarah recognizes that this is an ongoing process of unlearning racism and re-learning anti-racism and accountability.
Accountability involves action, and as such 10% of all earnings from Newland Art Therapy for the month of June 2021 will be donated to the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA), which runs a number of programs, including a 2-Spirit Collective.