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What is an ally?
What does it mean to be an ally to Indigenous peoples?
I'm Isabel DeRoy-Olson and I'm here to explain.
♪ [thoughtful]
Whenever there's something going on in the news
about Indigenous peoples, it seems like I'm usually
the one that my friends
and sometimes even teachers turn to for answers.
Hey, Isabel, I was just wondering,
what does reconciliation mean?
Hey, Is, I was just wondering what should I be doing to help?
Oh, hey, Izzy. I like saw the news and stuff.
It was terrible.
I was just wondering what should I be doing?
Now, those questions can get kind of overwhelming.
And while I might not have all the answers,
I got the chance to talk to two experts about
what exactly Indigenous allyship is
and how we can all become better allies.
[speaking alternate languages]
I'm Larissa Crawford and this is my daughter, Zaira.
I carry Métis ancestry from Penetanguishene, Ontario,
and Afro Caribbean ancestry from Jamaica,
and I passed this ancestry on to Zaira.
Now I am an Afro Indigenous activist.
I am an owner of a
organization called Future Ancestors Services.
My name is Cindy Blackstock
and I'm a member of the Gitxsan First Nation,
and I work at something called
the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society.
And this is Spirit Bear.
And he represents all the First Nations children
and young people who help us of the Caring Society.
What is an ally?
♪ ♪
It means someone who stands with you
in the realization of your rights.
So when you see an injustice in the world,
I mean, Spirit Bear and I, our job is to learn more
about that injustice, even if it doesn't affect us,
because we know that if there's injustice in the world,
then it really isn't living up to humanity's full potential.
So we need to learn about that and stand with people.
♪ ♪
I think someone who really wants to learn.
Someone who will ask to be guided so that they know how to
act in a respectful way and really be part of the solution.
Someone who's going to work hard
because this is hard work, isn't it?
It can be looking like supporting your peers,
going to protest, writing a really cool project,
and researching and becoming more aware of what
different people face, different people's realities
and how you can support them.
But sometimes allyship is uncomfortable as well.
So it may look like having difficult conversations
with your friends, maybe with yourself.
It looks like not taking a really cool opportunity
and giving that opportunity to someone who
may not have access to that normally.
We need to ensure First Nations young people and children
have an opportunity to live the lives they wish to have
and be proud of who they are.
Why be an ally?
♪ ♪
I didn't tell my friends I was Indigenous when I was in school
because I heard all of the awful things they would say
about Indigenous people, not knowing that I was Indigenous.
And so, first of all, saying mean things,
saying racist things about Indigenous peoples is never OK.
But then also don't assume someone's not Indigenous
just because they haven't said so.
I really, as you talk about Indigenous peoples,
as you explore this idea of allyship,
I really encourage you to let go of your preconceived ideas
of who Indigenous people look like.
Because if I wasn't wearing my earrings
and I was walking down the street,
you probably wouldn't think I'm Indigenous.
If you saw Zaira playing at the park,
you probably wouldn't think she's Indigenous.
But we very proudly are.
And I really want to encourage us to
to think beyond, again,
the kind of stereotypes that we've been fed about what
Indigenous peoples look like and who we are.
Isabel:
who doesn't think allyship is worth it?
♪ ♪
I would say that, you know,
if you can't relate to the word "allyship",
think about it as being your friend or your neighbour.
It's about being a good friend or neighbour to someone,
and to realize that it doesn't cost you anything.
You know, kindness is one of the most
beautiful things that we all have.
And it's free to give away
and it makes such a difference in the world.
I hope you were able to learn a little bit more about
what it means to be a good ally to Indigenous peoples in Canada.
From listening and learning to reading and supporting,
how will you be a good ally?
For
[speaks Indigenous word] Bye!