In Recognition of the United Nation’s
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
STARS presents:
STARS presents:
EraceISM: Anti-racism in Action!
(click on her name for more information about her empowering and important work)
From Defeathering to Re-feathering:
A Personal and Intellectual Inventory of Education, Culture and Social Change
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Concluding Speaker: Dr. Alex Wilson
Racebook: Social Networking for Social Activism
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Free! To Register Email stars.march26@usask.ca
Saturday, March 26
Registration: 9:00 / Conference: 9:30 - 3:30 pm
Everyone Welcome!
Registration Deadline: March 22
PD Certificate & Resource Package Included!
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Followed by the SIA's Cultural Festival: Performances, Snacks & Refreshments
3:30 - 6:30pm (come & go)
Open to the Public! Bring Your Friends & Family!
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Conference Agenda:
REGISTRATION (9:00 - 9:30)
INTRODUCTIONS (9:30 - 9:45) 1004 EDUC
KEYNOTE (9:45 – 11:00) 1004 EDUC
From Defeathering to Re-feathering: A Personal and Intellectual Inventory of Education, Culture and Social Change, Dr. Emma LaRocque. Dr. LaRocque will review three decades of deconstructing stereotypes and reconstructing "Native Studies" in a university setting. She will consider the pitfalls of employing "culture" in the context of the very dominant western narrative. What though will bring about meaningful social transformation? Dr. Emma LaRocque is a scholar, author, poet, social and literary critic, and professor in the Department of Native Studies, University of Manitoba. She is author of two books: When the Other Is Me: Native Resistance Discourse 1850-1990 (2010), and the groundbreaking bookDefeathering The Indian (1975), and has written extensively on Canadian historiography and mis/representation, colonization, racism, Métis identity, violence against women, and contemporary Aboriginal literatures. In 2005 Dr. LaRocque received the prestigious Aboriginal Achievement Award. She is originally from a Cree-Métis community in northeastern Alberta.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS I (11:10 – 12:00) A 2002 EDUC, B 2005 EDUC, C 2009 EDUC, D 1004 EDUC
A. Environmental Justice and Youth Activism, Margaret Kress-White. Margaret will talk about her work with Dene youth in Northern Saskatchewan who are actively involved in ecological justice and water issues. Margaret works in the fields of community development, recreation and education, and advocacy. She is presently employed as a Student Advisor at SIAST, a sessional lecturer in Educational Foundations, U of S, and a PhD student in Transformative Education at the University of Manitoba. Her research areas include critical analysis and intersections of ableism, environmental racism, and Indigenous Knowledge.
B. Deconstructing Islamophobia, Sheelah Mclean. This session will focus on the impact Islamophobia has on our communities and will provide media literacy resources that can be used to understand and address anti-Muslim racism. Sheelah McLean is a teacher with the Saskatoon Public system, and an instructor with the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the Co-Chair of the STF Council SAFE (Social Justice and Anti-racist Anti-oppressive Forum on Education) and currently a PhD student in Anti-racist Anti-oppressive education.
C. 1) Anti-Racist Education: Taking a Look at One's Self, Sherry Sansom. As a graduate of SUNTEP, Sherry witnessed situations in the college that related to racism and continued to recognize this in the work force as a teacher in an employment equity position. As an ally of anti-racist education she considers herself an asset in the public school division. In this session, Sherry will share some of her experiences and talk about the importance of self-knowledge in anti-racist education. Sherry is currently obtaining a Masters degree in Educational Foundations and is Métis Dene, originally from La Loche, Saskatchewan.
C. 2) Implementing Anti-Racism Strategies in Schools, Sheila Pocha. Sheila will discuss the importance of strategically implementing cultural responsiveness and anti-racist education into annual school planning documents and to persevere in the ally work that is extremely significant for all children to succeed in school. Sheila is a proud Métis woman who works consistently as an advocate for anti-racism and social justice. She is an elementary administrator with Saskatoon Public Schools and was the Director of SUNTEP, where she ensured students gained a stronger cultural identity and critical approach to education. Sheila has extensive experience volunteering with community organizations and is currently a member of the National Family Literacy Panel, the vice-chair of Quint Development Corporation and chair of the inner-city social justice enterprise center Station 20 West.
D. Poem Is Where the Heart Is: Using the Spoken Word for Racial Equality, Khodi Dill. Participants in this session will come to understand the genre of spoken word poetry in the Canadian context through examples and performance. They will begin to see spoken word poetry as an effective, practical medium for anti-racism, and will be invited to write and share their own anti-racist pieces. Khodi Dill is an established spoken word artist from Saskatoon. He is the 2010 Saskatoon Poetry Slam champion and competed at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Ottawa. In April, he will represent the city at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam in Vancouver. Khodi currently teaches English at Nutana Collegiate and studies anti-oppressive education at the University of Saskatchewan.
LUNCH (12:00 - 12:30) 1005 EDUC/Student Lounge
CONCURRENT SESSIONS II (12:30 – 1:20) A 2002 EDUC, B 2005 EDUC, C 2009 EDUC, D 1004 EDUC
A. Reflections on Aboriginal Engagement at the University of Saskatchewan, Murray Hamilton. This session will explore why there is an ongoing need for Aboriginal teacher education programs. Murray is of Métis ancestry and is originally from Lebret, Saskatchewan. He spent his formative years in Lebret and believes it's history and people shaped his identity and worldview. He has spent most of his life advocating issues of concern to the Métis, particularly education initiatives. He is currently the Program Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP Saskatoon) at the University of Saskatchewan.
B. Racism in Disney, Breanne Cooper, Nathan Yaworski, Michelle Lee & Andra Gislason. Although Disney movies have been a staple in homes around the world for decades, their messages are not always friendly. Many Disney films contain racial stereotypes and distorted assumptions about various cultural groups. By critically looking at racism within these "child-friendly" classics, we can more effectively educate our students and children about the hegemonic strategies employed in Disney and other animated productions. Nathan Yaworski is in his first year of Education and has spent the past four years studying History at the U of S, with a special focus on Canadian history. He plans to teach History and English at the high school level, and is eager to implement the skills he's been learning in order to help create socially and culturally aware learners. Michelle Lee is in her first year of Secondary Education and is also working towards a Bachelors of History. Her teaching areas are Social Studies and English. Breanne Cooper is from Saskatoon and is in her first year of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. She is planning on teaching Native Studies and English at the secondary level and is excited to incorporate anti-racism education into her teaching. Andra is from Foam Lake, Saskatchewan and is currently taking Education at the University of Saskatchewan. Her teaching areas are Social Studies and English and she hopes to eventually become a special needs teacher.
C. 1) Meanings of Development in Indigenous Land: A Colonial and Postcolonial Story, Ranjan Datta. Historically, Indigenous people have been seriously threatened by government development projects whereas Indigenous knowledge or experiences have been significantly undermined in numerous ways. The colonial and post-colonial anti-racist discourse analysis on Indigenous relationships in science and social science studies are helpful in finding out how Indigenous experiences have been historically misplaced, undermined, and discriminated against through essential development, culture, and identity. Ranjan Datta is PhD student in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan. Having Bangladeshi minority identity he is involved with minority and Indigenous community’s identity, culture, and language movements in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh
C. 2) Inspiring Success: Anti-racist Provincial Policies, Corey O’Soup. As a superintendent of the Ministry of Education, Corey will talk about Inspiring Success, a provincial policy document that outlines how and why schools must report anti-racist initiatives to the ministry. He will also share some of his personal experiences with School Division offices and talk about how to recognize racism. Corey is a superintendent in the First Nations Métis Community Education Branch of the Ministry of Education and has a BA in History and a B.Ed. He is currently working towards his M.Ed at the U of S and is from the Key FN in SK. He has taught in various community schools for the Saskatoon Public School Division.
D. Intersections of Race & Gender in Aboriginal Feminism, Marlene McKay. Marlene is of Cree Métis ancestry originally from Cumberland House, SK., and is a Swampy Cree speaker. Most of Marlene’s work experience has been as a social worker, counselor and an educator in an urban centre. She is currently a PhD candidate with the University of Regina in the Faculty of Education. Marlene identifies as an Aboriginal feminist and admits that coming to that place has been a long and difficult road to reach. Marlene will talk about her personal experiences of coming to a feminist consciousness. She will discuss how race and gender intersect in Aboriginal communities. Marlene believes that these two identity categories are significant forms of analysis for Aboriginal peoples.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS III (1:25 – 2:15) A 2002 EDUC, B 2005 EDUC, C 2009 EDUC, D 1004 EDUC
A. Anti-racist Strategies for Administrators, Michelle Sanderson. What is racism and how does it look in schools? What are some common racist practices that affect school aged children? What can you do as an administrator or teacher to ensure your school is not harboring racist policies? This session will describe what racism looks like in schools, how it affects children and name concrete anti-racist strategies for administrators. Michelle is from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. She is a jingle dress dancer, an elementary teacher with ten years of experience at the K-8 level and a single parent of 3 children. Michelle is currently a graduate student in Educational Foundations with a specialty in Anti-racist/Anti-oppressive education at the U of S and is the Cree teacher at Muskeg Lake Kihiw School.
B. Anti-Racism from a Privileged Place, Janice Reigert & Matt Love. Janice and Matt will share their personal experiences learning about, understanding and accepting a racially privileged social position. They will provide concrete examples of how whiteness has been advantageous in various institutions and social situations. As beginning teachers, they will share their experiences in regards to anti-racist, anti-oppressive education - the struggles, the ‘triumphs,’ and the ‘tough questions.’ They look forward to hearing your experiences, input and ideas! Janice Reigert is a Métis educator who was raised in Martensville, SK. She currently teaches English Language Arts, History and Practical and Applied Arts in a small rural community and has been an active STARS member for the past three years. Matt Love is in his final year of studies in the College of Education and was chosen as the valedictorian for the graduating class of 2011. The highlight of his education experience thus far was interning at Aden Bowman in the Integrated Global Citizenship 30 program.
C. Indigenous Women: From the Personal to the Political, Dr. Priscilla Settee. Analyzing her personal life story, Dr. 'Pdawg', frames her presentation on the need for all Indigenous women to view their stories within a larger political picture. Dr. Settee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan and a member of Cumberland House Cree First Nations. Priscilla believes that a better path needs to be made between the community and the academy and has initiated a number of projects locally and internationally, including a CIDA project with the University of San Marcos in Peru. This project supported Indigenous Amazonian and Andean students make the transition from their home communities to the university. She is actively involved with local and global community organizations, has published widely, and was awarded a Global Citizen’s award by the Saskatchewan Council for International Co-operation in 2008.
D. What’s Up with Resistance to Anti-racist Education? Cheryl Hoftyzer & Lynn Caldwell. Most people agree with eliminating racism. So, what’s with the resistance to anti-racist education? As allies in anti-racist education, we probably all in different ways come up against resistance as we learn, teach, practice, and try to figure out strategies in the midst of ongoing racism in schools and society. In this session, we will discuss some of the ways that resistance has been explained, share strategies for identifying its particular forms, and discuss some examples of confronting resistance to anti-racist education. Cheryl Hoftyzer has been a Special Education teacher for 8.5 years both in Ontario and Saskatoon, and is from Montreal Lake Cree Nation. She is a M.Ed. student in Anti Racist and Aboriginal Education and is currently an instructor with the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. Lynn Caldwell teaches as a Sessional Lecturer in the Department of Educational Foundations and in the Department of Sociology of St. Thomas More College. She completed a PhD in Sociology and Equity Studies in Education at OISE/UT in Toronto.
CONCLUDING SPEAKER (2:20 – 3:20) 1004 EDUC
Racebook: Social Networking for Social Activism, Dr. Alex Wilson. This presentation will focus on ways that social networking on the internet can be used to erace the ‘isms’. Dr. Wilson is Swampy Cree from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Currently she is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Foundations at the University of Saskatchewan.
CONCLUSION & FEEDBACK (3:20 - 3:30) 1004 EDUC
Generously Sponsored by the Aboriginal Education Research Centre, The Department of Educational Foundations & The University of Saskatchewan Conference Fund
