Decolonization is a process. Decolonization means collaboration. Collaboration means listening, building trust, creating mutual relationships. Non-Indigenous educators often feel fear, fear of appropriation or misrepresentation. This fear may be caused by lack of trust and lack of relationships that we have with Indigenous colleagues and communities.
Reference
Sloan, W. (2018, January). Decolonizing the classroom is more than just a checklist. Ryerson Today, Ryerson University. https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/news/2018/01/decolonizing-the-classroom-is-more-than-just-a-checklist/
I went through this conversation amongst educators and colleagues, and I think this is something that can help people comprehend one another better. Just reading about their discussion puts things into a different, deeper and more meaningful perspective, when listening to one another. The following quote was pretty powerful in that discussion;
“If we were going to move beyond the pain, the hurt, and everything that followed from residential schools … if we were going to have meaningful lives again, we’d need to find a place and space where people could bring their whole selves.”
Thank you for sharing this Emma.