Experts on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on Sept. 30. The University of Victoria has made the pledge of ʔetalnəw̓əl̓ | ÁTOL,NEUEL | Respecting the rights of one another and being in right relationship with all things, and is committed to implementing local, national and international responsibilities that support the rights and sovereignties of Indigenous Peoples. 

The following UVic experts are available to media to discuss reconciliation topics:

Ry Moran (Libraries) is an expert on truth and reconciliation in Canada and is the inaugural Associate University Librarian, Reconciliation at UVic. As the former director of statement gathering for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) and the founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Moran can discuss a range of topics related to cultural heritage, memory and broad efforts of truth and reconciliation.  (Contact: rymoran-aulr@uvic.ca)

siyaʔiłsapt, Dawn Smith (Education) is Nuu-chah-nulth from Ehattesaht, and grew up in W̱SÁNEĆ (Tsawout) with her late parents. She received her EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy from the Faculty of Education from the University of British Columbia. Her research focus is Nuu-chah-nulth self-determination, environmentalism, climate change and healing. Her forthcoming publications include “t̓iičmisukniš siyaac̓itu (the ocean is our life): ʔuuʔuukʷačiʔ (Self-Determination) and Pathways Forward. She is also the author of “Decolonising our futures: Neo-colonial Criminal Injustice and the Mass Imprisonment of Indigenous Women” and “The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.” As well as “Indigenous Communities in Canada: Nuu-chah-nulth, Beech Street Books”; “Narratives of Memory, Migration, and Xenophobia” in the European Union and Canada; Chapter 2 “I-witness Holocaust Field School Experiences, Indigenous Peoples, and Reconciliation in Canada”; and co-authored “Building Transdisciplinary Relationship through Multidirectional Memory Work and Education.” (Contact: dmsmith@uvic.ca)

Jessica Vandenberghe (Engineering) is a member of the Dene Thá First Nation, a Sixties Scoop survivor and was raised in an inclusive German farming family in northern Alberta. She has worked in the oil sands, mining, regulatory, infrastructure, consulting industries and academia. As the assistant dean, community and culture within UVic’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, she believes that we can walk together to heal, build strong relationships, teach ethical and respectful behaviour, and be changemakers to create progressive and inclusive organizations and communities. (Contact: jessicavandenberghe@uvic.ca) 

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