Part 3 of our 3-Part Series exploring Equity and Inclusion created in partnership with Curated Leadership, founded by Sheliza Jamal. The series includes conversation on inclusion, accessibility, equity, and radical self-love. Episodes in this series are supported by Ontario Arts Council. 

Indigenous author and community builder, Elaine Alec joins us to talk about re-examining self-love to advocate for ourselves and our community. With a better understanding of self-love, we can break cycles of colonialism that causes us to inflict self-hate and negative social constructs onto ourselves and our communities. Elaine’s personal stories and experience with Indigenous advocacy provides a framework for us to self-reflect and interrogate white supremacy and its impacts our well being and the inequitable structures in the arts. From this conversation, we are urged to think of how to transform oppressive structures and systems to benefit future generations.

Notable Mentions and Resources:

• Calling My Spirit Back, Elaine Alec, 2020.
• Four Colonial Tools, Jessie Hemphill.
• “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” A Burst of Light: and Other Essays, Audre Lorde, 2017.

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