On Tuesday evening, I decided to watch the video broadcast made by Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman, shortly before she died in tragic and unacceptable circumstances at the Joliette hospital.
It shook me up.
I slept very badly.
My humanity hurts very much.
My eyes immediately found their way to the book Me and White Supremacy on my bedside table. To say that systemic racism does not exist in Quebec is willful blindness. To think that we, each and every one of us, have no work to do on ourselves is unacceptable.
I don’t want to make a long statement. It is necessary to amplify other voices at this time. But I cannot remain silent either.
Looking at my Facebook feed when I woke up, one publication caught my attention, that of author Kim Thúy :
[post translated]
The total registered population of the three Atikamekw Bands was 7,747 in 2016.
Months of the year in Atikamekw:
Kenôsitc Pisimw – January: Longest [Winter] Moon
Akokatcic Pisimw – February: Groundhog Emerges Moon
Nikikw Pisimw – March: Otter Moon
Kâ Wâsikatotc Pisimw – April: Reflects on the Ice Moon
Wâpikon Pisimw – May: Flower Moon
Otehimin Pisimw – June: Strawberry Moon
Mikomin Pisimw – July: Raspberry Moon
Otâtokon Pisimw – August: [Bird] Fledges Moon
Kâkône Pisimw – September: Porcupine Mates Moon
Namekosi Pisimw – October: Trout [Spawns] Moon
Atikamekw Pisimw – November: Whitefish [Spawns] Moon
Pîtcipipôn Pisimw – December: Winter Arrives Moon
It is said that “it is by observing the partridge, one of the rare birds to walk on snow, that the Amerindians had the idea of making snowshoes which allowed them to do the same.”
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attikameks
I have so much to learn, so much to love…
photo from https://propagandadesign.com/fr/projets/atikamekw
This is so true. We have so much to learn.
All we’ve been able to do so far is hear. Hearing the violent and racist comments made to Joyce Echaquan in the video she made from her hospital bed just before she died. If only we knew how to listen as well. It would allow us to see the systemic racism, injustice and brutality of public services towards Indigenous peoples and racialized communities.
Today I wish that each and every one of us will be allies and stand in solidarity with Ms. Echaquan’s family and Indigenous peoples in their struggle for justice and rights.
Their right to care, to dignity, to life.
Join the gathering in Montreal for Joyce Echaquan on October 3
(Please respect the current standards of physical distancing)
Click here to make a donation to Joyce Echaquan’s family.
Learn more on how to be an ally in the AFNQL’s Action Plan against Systemic Racism and Discrimination.
Here are some examples of actions we can take collectively:
– Read Myths and Realities about Indigenous Peoples.
– Follow the news by subscribing [on social media] to Indigenous organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL), Quebec Native Women (QNW), the First Nations Youth Network Quebec-Labrador, and other First Nations organizations in Quebec by searching the Internet.
– Share positive media content on First Nations in social networks.
– Talk to your family members, friends and loved ones about the importance of bringing Quebecers and First Nations closer together in order to improve our relations in all territories and regions.
– Send a letter to Premier Legault and your local elected officials to let them know your desire to improve relations with the local First Nations population.
– Valorize the economic contribution of First Nations in the Quebec economy, particularly in the regions.
– Promote collaborations between youth and schools
