Lacey McLaughlin (she/her) was born and raised in Victoria, BC on the unseeded territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples and now lives on the beautiful lands of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. She appreciates the amazing land that these Indigenous communities have stewarded and continue to steward and feels deep gratitude, respect, and responsibility to call this place her home.

Lacey is a part of the Education Advocacy Team and has helped create programs, professional development for educators, and supported families with educational advocacy for their kiddos.

She has an 8 year old daughter, a 14 year old step daughter, a 14 year old niece, and a 13 year old nephew.  They inspire her daily to continuously work on herself, learn, and help teach and show others how to be kind, caring, and anti-racist humans. Her step daughter, niece, and nephew are all biracial and this is a driving motivation that guides her to work towards challenging harmful systems and working to dismantle them to move towards a better and safer world for the 4 most important kiddos in her life and for all the other kiddos who deserve a safe and loving world.

She has worked in the schools for the past 15 years, starting as an Education Assistant and then going back to school to get her teaching degree and then again to get her Inclusive Education Certificate to work as a learning support teacher which is the role she is currently in working at Craigflower Elementary School. She is energized to bring all of her learning around white privilege and social justice to help create a meaningful lens to inform her own personal learning and inform how she will guide students’ learning and support her colleagues to do the same.

She doesn’t have any major accomplishments to display or share, but her accomplishments have been quiet, but important. She has always worked to question, challenge, and ignite change against the ‘status quo’ and her quiet perseverance, yet loud when needed, is an accomplishment that is important too.

Outside of her work and home life one of her favorite activities is Dance.  She has been dancing since she was little and has always loved the freedom of movement and freedom of expression that it can bring. Continuing the activities that bring you joy during challenging times is an important act of resistance too!

Lacey became a member of MAR because she wants to make a difference in this world. She wants to use her white privilege to fight for change so that her white privilege is no longer a thing.  She wants to teach her daughter that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and compassion no matter what. Everyone deserves to feel safe, feel loved, and to know that they are valued.