Laws of Matriarch

I'm really tired.  Today has been tough, filled with ignorance and racism.  It’s frustrating when people with privilege try to compare their lives to ours, making it even harder to keep going.  I’m drained from trying to teach those who are comfortable in their privilege and don’t really want to change.  It’s tiring to hear that we’re all equal when I’ve had the ministry involved in my life for 40 years, and our kids are being taken away at rates higher than when we were sent to residential schools.  I’m fed up fighting for our people to be able to pray outside of Indian Reserves in Vancouver.  I’m exhausted from seeing others with less education and experience get opportunities that we don’t have.  I worry about my kids going to school, dealing with the same systemic racism, and hearing that “savage Aboriginal people” were defeated long ago.  I’m scared for my girl’s safety, knowing that if something happens to her, people might not care because ...

I’m a single grandmother raising my 15-year-old grandson and my 13-month-old baby grandson. Right now, I’m facing ongoing challenges with #ChildWelfare, and I’m struggling with daycare issues. I’m about to lose my daycare at the end of this month, on August 29th. The daycare owner has realized she can't carry Angel down 19 flights of stairs in case of a fire alarm, and that puts us in a tough spot. I’m really worried because my options are limited if I can’t find a new daycare. The daycare owner also mentioned that she will need to relocate her daycare, as she doesn’t think she can afford to stay in Vancouver with the skyrocketing housing costs. She said many daycare providers are finding it too expensive to operate in this city. If I can’t find a daycare, I’ll be faced with some difficult choices: - I could put Angel back into VACFSS Ministry care and start all over again. - I might have to take an unpaid leave from work, risking my job. - I could lose my home. - I might have to m...

I don't want to feel scared of being the next murdered women .   I Don’t Want to Be a Statistic I don’t want to feel the chill of fear,   Waking in the night, haunted by the whispers—   The cries of our sisters, the missing and murdered,   Echoing through the shadows, lingering in the air.   You may see the #MMIW tag,   Scrolling past it like a forgotten story,   But for us, it’s not just a hashtag;   It’s a reality, a reminder of lives lost,   Of dreams shattered,   Of women taken,   Their voices silenced.   For years, I’ve watched the arguments unfold,   Organizations and communities debating how to protect,   But where is the action? Where is the change?   Women plead for fairness and safety,   Yet the world turns a blind eye.   If murderers only targeted white men,   At the same rate we lose our Aboriginal women,   Would that spark outrage? Would that be fair?   If just as many w...