You can’t unhear what I have said so what will you do with it?

These words from Red River Metis speaker Fallon Faranacci stay with me as I think about her story of courage and trauma. When Fallon was 8 years old, both her parents were murdered while she and her two brothers were held hostage waiting for help. Eleven years later her older brother committed suicide. 

Creating Hope

And now she creates hope in her work with the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the National Family Advisory Circle. Check out their website to learn more about their work and about the 231 Calls for Justice.

Build the table together

Fallon spoke of the need to uplift and hear the voices of Indigenous women and not just give them a seat at the table but build that table with them.

Women 4 Change

I am proud to be a founding contributor of Hamilton Community Foundation Women4Change who sponsored the webinar with Fallon. Women 4 Change was established in 2012 by a group of Hamilton women who came together in a mission to inspire and enable the women of Hamilton to become leaders in philanthropy, while improving the lives of women and girls in our community through collective giving.

I am also proud to be a member of Na’amat where we empower women in Canada and in Israel by hearing their voices. 

Forging new relationships

Watch for news at Na’amat Canada about how we plan to start building that table by forging new relationships with Indigenous women. Won’t you give some of your time and experience and be at the table too?

Listen to the webinar with Fallon here.

Lori is a member of Na'amat Canada Hamilton. 

The views and opinions expressed in this post are the writer’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Na’amat Canada.