Sorry to post this to my casual doodle account, but trying to get this spread around. My partner is already in financial trouble and so is my mom, I’m being spread extremely thin rn and could use some help. Everyone I love is struggling hhh

My mom has been disabled since 2013 (when I was 13) when she got breast cancer and things have only been getting worse since, she’s a stubborn little autistic woman and loves her quiet RV life and pets but things are getting hard for her to keep going, she’s completely disabled and can’t work a job, only getting by on disability checks and ssi, I am not in the same state as her, if she ends up completely homeless there’s not much I can do and I want to prevent that as much as possible.

Listen, Learn, Support: Indigenous History Month

Artwork from Kat Brown Akootchook, a Haudenosaunee & Anishinaabe artist from the Deshkan Ziibi, Thames river in what is now known as southern Ontario. Follow and support their work here. 

After learning the heartbreaking news from Kamloops last week, it has become all the more clear to us that we as Canadians have a long way to go. For many, the tragic and painful history of our country is very much a part of the present. For others, integrating the truths of the abuse and injustice that have taken place and continue to take place in our Indigenous communities remains a work in progress. Self-education, love, and respect are so important as we support the processes of grieving, listening, and learning. 

We believe in bringing to light the darkness of the past and the inequality still present today, so that we can deepen our understanding, and find a way forward. We plan to learn more about the land we are on, research its peoples and traditions, support the communities that are suffering intergenerational trauma, and encourage all those around us to do so as well. We are so grateful to those who have dedicated their lives to this work, and will strive to make sure these stories are heard, shared, and woven into our own perspective and work as we continue to fight anti-Indigeneity this Indigenous History Month and beyond.

 Below we have listed some support and learning resources our team has found useful. We will be making a donation towards the Legacy of Hope Foundation -- an Indigenous-led charitable organization with the mandate to educate and create awareness and understanding about the Residential School System.

Please do not hesitate to send us your comments or suggestions at [email protected].

With love,

Team Greenhouse

1. Resources to Support Indigenous Communities 

Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line, 1-866-925-4419

Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction 

Indian Residential School Survivors Society

Legacy of Hope Foundation

Indspire

Canadian Roots Exchange

Inuit Tapiriit Kaatami

Native Canadian Centre of Toronto

The Art for Aid Project

True North Aid

Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund

First Nations Child & Family Caring Society

2. Learning Resources

Indigenous Canada -- Free Program offered by University of Alberta

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Reconciliation Canada

Indigenous History Month

On Canada Project

3. Further Reading

They Called Me Number One by Bev Sellars

The Sleeping Giant Awakens by David B. MacDonald

The Education of Augie Merasty by Joseph Auguste (Augie) Merasty

A Knock on the Door by Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

A National Crime by John S. Milloy

Legacy by Suzanne Methot

From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle

Up Ghost River by Edmund Metatawabin

Stolen Words by Melanie Florence (for children)

Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga

4. Some Instagram Accounts to Follow

@oncanadaproject

@indigenouspeoplesmovement

@wetsuweten_checkpoint

@orangeshirtdayac

@torontoindigenousharmreduction

I asked and y’all were interested, so let’s get this started. I’ll add more as I find them; feel free to find your own and add them too!

Instagram:

misscorinne86 (cannot recommend enough, activist/educator)

modern_warrior_ (activist, educator)

shinanova (activist)

singsinthetimber (photographer)

notoriouscree (dancer + activist)

tiamiscihk (dancer/musician + activist)

j.okuma (artist)

naiomiglasses (weaver + model)

wetsuweten_checkpoint

nehiyanahk_creations (beadwork)

adinasdoodles (artist)

_totem_designs_ (artist)

huicholamade (beadwork & art)

nsrgnts (brand/collective)

instanizhoni (a personal account that always has the inside deets, aka why I hardcore sideye _coyotl_/haatepah. Corinne still follows him though, so I’m waiting before blocking.)

nuskmata_ (a personal account that occasionally speaks on rights)

TikTok:

tiamiscihk

notoriouscree

shinanova

modern_warrior_ (Top Recommendation for education/decolonization)

vinceschilling (education, activist)

lakotaguy (activist)

kuakamahao (Pacific Islander indigenous)

#OnThisDay in [12 Feb] 1973 a group of Aboriginal leaders was subject to a racist attack by staff of the Rex Hotel in Kings Cross; in response Sydney Gay Liberation zapped the venue, calling for a boycott and handing out this flyer, the text of which reads:

Transcript:

“Don't drink here

Gay Liberation asks all patrons of the Rex Hotel, Kings Cross to support a black ban of this hotel in protest against the racist attack on a group of Aboriginal leaders by 7 bouncers with the support of the manager. The Aboriginal leaders were drinking in the Garden Island Bar on Thursday 12 February. They were all viciously bashed and kicked, and subjected to the most racist insults. Gay Liberation in Australia actively supports the Aboriginal Civil Rights struggle and all similarly oppressed minority groups. (printed by Gay Liberation, 67 Glebe Pt Rd, Glebe, 2037. Tel. 6604687).”