Canada Anti-Racism Workshop: An Act of Re-membering

What is it? 

An Act of Re-membering is an interactive and participatory workshop that offers co-learners the opportunity to embark on an embodied storytelling journey. Co-learners listen together to the narratives of various people groups who are connected to the northern part of Turtle Island (Canada). Together, we'll seek to learn our “shared history” (George Erasmus) and "re-member" the body that has been divided. 

What you'll learn: 

By the end of the workshop we hope you will leave with:

• a heightened sense of awareness regarding the themes of racism, resistance and reconciliation in Canada’s nations-to-nations story;
• a desire to move the discussion and learning further in your circles of influence;
• an increased willingness to adopt a prayerful and self-examining attitude regarding racism and racial justice in Canada; and finally
• a greater understanding about how we can thoughtfully and intentionally be Micah 6:8 people.

Workshop overview:

By the end of this workshop, we will have...

• Discussed the importance of land and bodies to the work of reconciliation
• Discussed a theology of redemption and reconciliation
• Shared our own stories of bodies and land
• Uncovered common themes across Turtle Island’s nations-to-nations narratives
• Explored how “re-membering” can serve as an act of reconciliation
• Practiced an act of reconciliation through engaging in the curation of a “shared history”

How much time does it take? 

4 hours

Interested in hosting An Act of Re-membering? 

Contact Bernadette Arthur, Office of Race Relations Canada Advocate, at [email protected], or 289-527-6345, or by leaving a comment below. 

Acknowledgements: 

Portions of this workshop contain the interactive workshop resource, “Mapping the Ground We Stand On,” (MTGWSO). This workshop “offers Indigenous and Settler participants an opportunity to explore the historic and current place on the map of Canada and in relationship to one another. It also offers the opportunity for learning and reflection on the concepts of Terra Nullius (empty land) and the Doctrine of Discovery as foundational to colonialism … and juxtaposes those concepts with an exploration of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge,” (Facilitator’s Guide). The free resource is produced by The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF has been used with permission and is available for download at http://pwrdf.org/resources/educational/). Special thanks to Suzanne Rumsey, Public Engagement Program Coordinator, PWRDF for offering conversational support on usage of the resource.

Special thanks are also given to the Canadian Council of Churches and Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning for their continued support in developing this resource so that it can eventually become accessible nationally.