MAR Shift: Crafting Your Personal Land Acknowledgment

Moms Against Racism Presents... Crafting Your Personal Land Acknowledgment

MAR Founder, Kerry Cavers, and MAR Healthcare Advocacy Team Co-Lead, Symbia Barnaby, co-present this workshop on territory acknowledgments.

This workshop is for you if:

• You want to learn why land acknowledgments are important;
• You know they are important but couldn't explain why if asked;
• You believe in land acknowledgments but don't do one because you're scared of getting it wrong;
• Your current acknowledgment goes something like "I am grateful to live, work, and play on the...";

Land acknowledgments are foundational to truth and reconciliation. Knowing and acknowledging whose land you are on is part of the "truth". It is a starting point. And when we know better, we can do better.

In this workshop we will:

• give you the background information you need to be confident explaining why territory acknowledgments are important,
• share a few things you should NOT do,
• walk you through crafting your own personal land acknowledgment, and
• give you the opportunity to practice in a small group setting

This workshop is intentionally being held during MAR's month on "Reparations", coincidentally also our 1-year Anniversary month. It has been developed and facilitated by an Indigenous and a Black mom. In today's society, our labour is already undervalued and underpaid. Also, the majority of MAR's funding comes from events like these and smaller one-time donations. We ask you to take this, and the ideas of truth, reconciliation, and reparations into mind when you purchase your ticket.

A Zoom link will be emailed out 1hr prior to the start of the workshop.

About your presenters:

Kerry Cavers (she/her) is a seasoned community builder and the Founder of Moms Against Racism (Canada). She is a mixed race, cis-gender woman with African, Swedish, Irish and English heritage who identifies as Black. She lives on the traditional territory of the Songhees First Nation, now known as Victoria, BC, with her husband and three children.

Symbia Barnaby is a Mi'kmaq and Haida wisdom translator. She is known as Guu Gaa Jung (Traditional name), Symbia Barnaby (English name), and Warrior Woman (Spirit Name). She is MAR Canada's Healthcare Advocacy Co-Team Lead, a Licensed Practical Nurse, a birth and post partum doula, a disability advocate and an activist. She is a single mother of 6 children and lives in Northern BC.