Allison Hanes: Sometimes, the word sorry is not enough

“Allison Hanes: Sometimes, the word sorry is not enough. While many survivors of residential schools have been moved by the Pope’s apology tour of Canada, many Indigenous people say he must take concrete actions.”

Nià:wen to Allison Hanes for the interview and for writing an excellent article on the papal visit and impact on Indigenous families.

Sanya Mansoor, a journalist with Time interviewed me regarding the Pope’s apology and current visit to Canada. This is an emotional and difficult time for many Indigenous families. The recent media coverage brought so much to the surface as I have many relatives that attended institutions such as Indian Day Schools and Residential Schools. I appreciate the opportunity to share my honest opinion and my misgivings about this recent development.

The ‘Deplorable’ History Behind the Pope’s Apology to Canada’s Indigenous Communities

The article is available on time.com: https://time.com/6200213/pope-apology-canada-history-indigenous-communities/

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Shashika Bandara as part of a spotlight series for McGill Perspectives on Global Health, an online academic journal/blog. I shared some of my personal experiences and cultural background, my research on Indian Day Schools, and the important work we as Indigenous, colonized and marginalized peoples are doing in education reform and research.

“Perhaps the most personal and powerful conversation I have had in this series to wrap up the Spotlight interview series as the editor. Take time to read this & re-examine biases, approaches to decolonizing. Worth your time, @SheWalksAbout for speaking & sharing.”

Shashika Bandara (Twitter – @sashikaLB)

Spotlight Interview Title: “Wahéhshon Whitebean, speaks on the importance of addressing tokenism and sensationalized meta-narratives of trauma of the indigenous communities”

http://www.perspectivesmcgill.com/spotlight-interview-series/wahehshonwhitebean