Panel discussion featuring Judy Da Silva (Grassy Narrows First Nation), Tsakë ze’ Sleydo’ Molly Wickham (Wet’suwet’en Gidimt’en clan), Kuku'wis Wowkis (Mikmaq grandmother).

 Facilitated by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist)

➡️ Register Here: https://tinyurl.com/surjtolandback

 * ASL interpretation will be available *FREE!* Everyone Welcome!!*

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

This workshop explores what decolonization and land back means in Turtle Island in 2025. Come join this amazing panel discussion led by elders and movement leaders from across the country. These activists, thinkers, land- and water-defenders have been at the front line of the struggle for Indigenous Sovereignty for decades. They are teachers, mentors, and leaders. Their wisdom is crucial anti-racist education for every single person in so-called Canada. Come join us to learn together!

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Judy Da Silva is an Elder, award-winning activist, and community leader in Grassy Narrows First Nation. She became an advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental justice after a chemical plant dumped 9,000 kilograms of mercury into the river near her community, poisoning the people of Grassy Narrows in the 1960s and 70s. She was awarded the Michael Sattler Award for Peace from the German Mennonite Peace Committee in 2013, and the Extraordinary International Activist award from Human Rights Watch in 2017.

Tsakë ze’ Sleydo’ Molly Wickham (Wet’suwet’en Gidimt’en clan) is a wing chief of the Cas Yikh people of the Gidimt’en clan. For many years, she has lived on unceded Cas Yikh territory with her family, in a cabin built strategically to protect an idyllic lake from mining. After leading a 55 day blockade of the Coastal GasLink pipeline, she has experienced targeted state harassment and ongoing criminalization as a result of her unwavering defence of the yintah.

Kuku'wis Wowkis is a Mikmaq grandmother and longtime land and water protector and treaty defender. Kuku’wis was involved in an occupation of the Alton Gas site in Nova Scotia as part of an ongoing Indigenous and environmental campaign to protect the land and water from developments that could harm the ecosystem.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist, who has been widely recognized as one of the most compelling Indigenous voices of her generation. Her work breaks open the intersections between politics, story and song—bringing audiences into a rich and layered world of sound, light, and sovereign creativity.

This workshop is completely free, though donations to community-led IBPOC organizations will be requested.