This reflection comes from Hannele Gordon, Equity and Community Director at Wee Wild Ones & Of the Wild Nature School, and one of Forum Community Relations’ cultural agility coaching clients. To learn more about one-on-one or small group cultural agility coaching, please visit our website.
Before I begin, it is important to introduce myself and the perspective from which I speak. My name is Hannele (in English, pronounced Hanna-lee). I grew up in Robinson Huron Treaty territory, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe Peoples, specifically Batchewana and Garden River First Nations. My maternal ancestry is Finnish and my paternal ancestry is English and Scottish. I’m a cis-gendered woman and my pronouns are she/her. I spent most of my childhood exploring Lake Superior, Lake Huron and the landscape of northern Ontario. I’ve been a visitor in Treaty 7 Territory since 2013, and have only recently begun to identify as a settler.
My life experiences and reconciliation journey have been formed through my social position and intersecting identities. I consider myself in the beginning phase of this path and by no means an expert. I cannot determine what you do, but hopefully, my experience will resonate with you, wherever you are on your journey.
Reconciliation begins with the ‘self’, and in an urban setting, extends to your workplace, community and beyond.
About a year ago, I started the unfamiliar process of learning and unlearning. I learned that privilege is equivalent to swimming in a current, and I have been propelled forward. At the same moment, I unlearned the concept of meritocracy, the belief that accomplishments are solely based on one’s actions. In short, some individuals benefit by swimming with the current while some individuals are disadvantaged by swimming against it.
I explored my understanding of history and learned that knowledge is generated and passed through a system of relationships. Knowledge demonstrates the social, historical and political context in which it was shaped, and does not merely exist as a collection of neutral facts. I then began to unlearn the colonial view of history. Conversations with Indigenous friends, leaders and knowledge keepers as well as diversifying my bookshelf all led me to view history through a lens that was new to me.
I learned that trusted sources of information are not always reliable. I unlearned language that I had been using to refer to people with marginalized identities and learned new language. I deconstructed colonization and reconciliation then explored their meaning.
Once I started to identify as a settler and unpack what this means, I wondered how I could share my new perspective. I was fortunate enough to have colleagues who were ready to learn and unlearn with me.
There are ample opportunities to explore colonial practices within the workplace and dismantle how they show up on a day-to-day basis. Our leadership team reviewed hiring practices and addressed internal policies. We attended workshops and received consultation on Indigenous Peoples relations training, hiring and retention of Indigenous Peoples and the impact of implicit bias in the workplace.
Our team began to understand the diversity of Indigenous groups in Canada and considered the importance of land acknowledgements. We researched Treaty 7 territory and composed a land acknowledgement, personal to our workplace that honours the Indigenous Nations and communities who created the space in which we now live.
Together, our leadership team explored our individual identities and rethought how we communicated our place in the community. We shared the treaty territory in which we grew up, discussed our ancestry, relationship with the land, and preferred pronouns. This practice is now commonplace and encouraged amongst all employees.
We read the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action and identified which elements applied to our organization. We committed to using the Calls to Action as our guiding principles in reconciliation, and we continuously reflect on where we can grow and change, assessing our daily, weekly and monthly actions.
The next phase on our path was to explore reconciliation at the community level. We connected with local businesses and organizations already doing amazing work. We learned from our colleagues and filled gaps in our practices. We shared knowledge, created relationships and expanded our sphere of influence.
We still have so much more to learn related to our selves, work culture and community. As a settler in an urban environment, my path began with self then extended to my workplace, community and back again. This is a lifelong commitment and journey that is each and everybody’s responsibility.