Join us for a conversation on the ongoing crisis of violence against indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people: Reclaiming Power & Place

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Webinar | March 31, 6-7:30 p.m. MT Presented by the Department of History and Women’s Centre of Calgary

The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls states, “The ongoing crisis of violence against indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people is a crisis centuries in the making, and continues into the present” (Reclaiming Power and Place, 231). Many family members who testified to the Inquiry explained that, because colonial policies have targeted Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people in specific ways, knowledge of the gendered history of colonization is essential to healing. By examining colonization as a structure, the authors of the report examine the connections between past and present to demonstrate how the systemic racism that Indigenous people, families, and communities face today are extensions of historical policies.

Join us for a conversation between Dr. Karine Duhamel (Director of Research for the National Inquiry into MMIQG) and Josie Nepinak (Executive Director of Awo Taan Healing Lodge and Chair of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Committee). They will present research from national and local contexts with the goal of informing action to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGTBQQIA people.

Moderators: Bobbi-Jo Amos, Reconciliation and Environment Coordinator, Women’s Centre of Calgary, and Dr. Nancy Janovicek, Associate Professor, UCalgary History.

Elder Jackie Bromley

Speaker biographies:

Dr. Karine Duhamel

is Anishinaabe-Métis and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University, a Bachelor of Education from Lakehead University, and a Master of Arts and PhD in History from the University of Manitoba. Dr. Duhamel was formerly an adjunct professor at the University of Winnipeg and director of research for Jerch Law Corporation. From 2016 to 2018, she also served as curator at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. More recently, Dr. Duhamel served as director of research for the historic National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, drafting the Final Report as well as managing its Forensic Document Review Project and Legacy Archive. Dr. Duhamel is now an independent historian and consultant working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations across the country to develop new approaches to research that embrace Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding the world and our relationships with each other.

She is also an active member of several boards and committees, including the International Council of Museums (ICOM) – Canada, the Canadian Historical Association and Facing History and Ourselves. Dr. Duhamel is a frequently requested speaker for the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, a member of the Parks Canada Indigenous Advisory Circle and co-chair of the Expert Group on Indigenous Matters for the International Council of Archives.

Josie Nepinak

is Anishinaabe from Treaty 4, and executive director of Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society in Calgary, Alberta. Josie’s background includes 28 years steeped in complex social issues working with Indigenous organizations and advocacy for Indigenous women and families affected by family violence. She believes in a balanced approach, with teachings of Indigenous wisdom and healing in combination with contemporary western methodologies in promoting the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, families and communities. She has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Women’s Studies with ongoing education in management and teachings from the traditional knowledge holders. She testified at the Missing and Murdered Indigenous inquiry in May 2018 on the matter of service organizations, representing the only urban Indigenous women’s shelter in Alberta. She is also a board member for the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women Aboriginal Women and chair of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Committee (Calgary), Resolve Alberta, Research Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse, and the Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative and a Canadian Femicide Observatory Justice and Accountability.

Cover photo: 14th Annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil. Oct 4, 2018.  Photo credit: Albert Woo.