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Our office is doing the Weaving Relations course, and it has been such a wonderful way to learn about Indigenous people and history from the Indigenous point of view. Growing up in Canada, while we had some education on Indigeneity in school, it was almost exclusively from the point of view of the colonizer, rather than amplifying the voices of those affected. The course has been immensely helpful in learning not only about the history, but applying it, in context, to the higher education landscape.

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Identifying how higher education organizations interact and bring awareness to matters that concern individual groups provides a great understanding of a rich diverse canvas that scholars are privileged to be on (Kasemsap, 2016). I've been going through the weaving relations course (THANK YOU for making it!) and am careful not to go too fast and miss out on the discomfort I feel when processing the atrocities. I believe that living with the pain is a part of the healing that an ally needs to feel to support the process of reconciliation.

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"Disability Visibility" is a book of essays written by the experts – people with lived experience. Before reading this book, I was ignorant about the disability rights movement and the unrelenting spirit of the disability community. Boy, these stories were eye opening! From Wanda Diez-Merced's description of her career as a blind astronomer (she can hear the stars🤯) to Britney Wilson's exposé on NYC's paratransit (it's bad!), I was left in awe of the strength of these individuals and their collective activism. Needless to say, I've been inspired to learn more and to take action, and I encourage everyone to check out the EDI.I library. P.S. "Nobody Passes" is another awesome collection of essays that's available. If you're anything like me, you'll be laughing, crying, and conspiring with the contributors.

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I am taking the "Respect, Sincerity & Responsibility: Land Acknowledgements @ UBC " course listed on the Workplace Learning site. I wanted to make it more personalized and as well as include how I am working toward reconciliation.

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This year my goal is to learn more about the native peoples of my home, Minnesota. The namesake for my state is the Dakota phrase "Mni Sota Wakace" which means "the land where the waters reflect the sky". My home is the centre of creation stories for the Dakota people, whose tribal lands spread across Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and into Canada. The northern part of Minnesota is home to the Ojibwe peoples. My love and appreciation for nature stems from childhood canoe trips through northern Minnesota with my Grandpa. In order to fully connect with the land, I need to learn more about history of conflict between my settler ancestors and the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples who lived on and cared for my home for thousands of years before I came along.

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book cover for "Pollution is Colonialism"

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I recently read "Pollution is Colonialism" by Max Liboiron, which illuminates how research methods (particularly around understanding environmental pollution) can align with, or disrupt, colonialism. My research focuses on environmental contaminants, so many themes in the book relate to my work. This term, my research group will be reading the book together and holding monthly "book club" meetings to discuss what we are learning and reflect together.