Calgary News Briefs - March 2014

Jen Lee with Sandra Crazybull, Mi Yvonne Cita, Allan Merovitz and Chantal Stormsong Chagnon at Calgary’s 6th Annual Valentine’s Day Women’s Memorial March.

On Feb. 14, the Sixth Annual Valentine’s Day Women’s Memorial March took place beginning with speeches at Scarboro United Church and ending at 14 Street and 17 Avenue. The organizers created and blessed banners for the marchers to honour the lives of missing and murdered women of southern Alberta. The memorial march raises awareness and seeks to affect change. The planning committee shared facts to support the claim that although violence affects all women, Indigenous women face higher risks. “Unlike most women who are at a greater risk of being assaulted by an intimate partner, Indigenous women are equally at risk of being assaulted by a stranger – this is a clear indication of the racist and sexist underpinnings of violence against Indigenous women,” they said.

Mount Royal University hosted a three-day international conference on genocide Feb. 19-21. Understanding Atrocities, Remembering, Representing and Teaching Genocide brought leading experts together to share new ideas on the global problem. Calgary’s history includes the incarceration of Aboriginal people on surrounding reserves after 1885, mob violence against Chinese Calgarians in 1892, anti-German riots during the First World War, and the enforcement of the Sexual Sterilization Act from 1928 to 1972. These atrocities served as the starting point for conversations. Friday’s closing panel, featured former federal politicians Lloyd Axworthy and Allan Rock.

On March 12, Professor Les Jerome, a senior instructor in the Faculty of Social Work at  the University of Calgary presented Healthy Communities: Some Observations and Implications between Individuals, Family, Community, and the World at a lunch and learn at the Kahanoff Centre. Focusing on the recovery process, he presented a number of related concepts: how if the individual heals, the communities and nation heal; how rediscovering First Nations identity will begin the recovery; how money, education and workplaces are reminders of colonization; how people create their own spirituality; and how moving to recovery will enable Canada’s Indigenous people to discover a single voice.

Juno nominated A Tribe Called Red, on a national tour, stopped off in Calgary at the Hi-Fi Club on Feb. 20. The all First Nations DJ and electronic act has won several Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, but they are not nominated for the Juno Category Aboriginal Album of the year. Instead, A Tribe Called Red is up against acts working in the same genre for Electronic Album of the year. The band has earned two nominations for the upcoming Juno’s for their release Nation II Nation. Their music incorporates cultural elements into dance sounds inviting a discussion of First Nations issues among non-First Nations.

The third annual Aboriginal Youth Explosion is planned for April 12. Organized by Bridges Social Development, the annual event showcases Aboriginal youth in an interactive arts and crafts exhibition. Throughout the day, young artists will share their stories and artworks with the wider community. Participation is free but participants are required to take part in a two-day workshop on March 21 and 22 to prepare for the event.

Compiled by Darlene Chrapko