An optimistic time for indigenous people

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/08/2015 (3927 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I had a conversation with my uncle a couple years ago. I wanted to get some insight on what he thought about raising his family in the North End. At the time I remember him saying to me ” I can’t believe all of the sh** that these kids have to go through these days. There is pills, crack, meth, gangs and all of these other things that the youth have to go up against.”

As someone who was raised in the North End, I knew what he was talking about. I grew up in poverty and my family went through many of the struggles and stereotypes that have been talked about. Growing up in the North End was and continues to be tough. A lot of families struggle to make ends meet. The idea that you could become anything you wanted, was never tangible for me. Even though all through school, there was always the one word that was used to describe me — “potential.”

I always had potential. A loud-mouth kid with an intellect who was going to “be something.” I graduated on time from Children Of The Earth High School, and I felt like maybe it was true, I could be something. I left high school thinking I wanted to become a writer or a politician. I went straight into the University of Winnipeg where I coasted, much like I had at high school, in terms of learning.

But I didn’t feel welcome and being in a classroom full of people who didn’t have a good understanding of my life experience was challenging. I felt like everyone in the city was out to get me.

Then all of this belief in myself — as a young father, working a part-time job, going through university — fell apart. Life happened. I made it through school and made some bad choices. Choices that I thought were temporary, but had a lasting impact on me. The neo-liberal idea if we could work hard enough we could become whatever we wanted, fell flat.

I had always dreamed about getting out of poverty, and with the skill set that I have, even today, it is still tough. It is one of the biggest challenges I have faced. I keep plugging away yet, it is much more difficult than you would think.

My story is not unusual in my community.

On one end of the spectrum, you have this abject poverty that exists for many folks in the inner city and elsewhere. I was able to see it first-hand on Northern Manitoba First Nations recently. It seems like everywhere I go, wherever there are indigenous people, there is a struggle.

Yet, on the other end, there is this growing sense of optimism that exists.

I feel like there has never been a better time to be an indigenous person in this country. There is a lot of momentum in our community; it is one of those things you have to be around to understand fully.

We have a strong activist community. Some brilliant indigenous and non-indigenous people working to create a better future for this city, and our people.

I think it’s important for the indigenous youth to realize there are people who have gone through these struggles and also to realize how resilient we are. Our youth don’t need role models, they need real models. People can see when a person isn’t authentic. Youth want to see the people they look up to are real, to make their goals seem like they’re within reach.

How is the rest of this city and this country going to handle that? I hope they can see it being done out of a place where we would really just like to live a healthy life. I would love to live in a city that truly respects indigenous history, values, and most importantly its people. For too long, there has been this fear of indigenous people in this city, but it is rapidly changing for the better, and it is an exciting time to be a part of it.

Many of our indigenous people are starting to break into areas that haven’t always been available to us. We are a growing population and we are seeing success as actors, musicians, authors, artists, journalists, teachers and leaders.

A lot of this has been made possible through indigenous people who have come before us and blazed the trail. So although we are seeing the one end of poverty and all of the social ills that come with it, we’re also living in a time when the country is ready to hear our stories. That’s what it boils down to, we need to continue to tell our unfiltered, uncensored stories. Our way.

 

Winnipegger Lenard Monkman is a proud father, volunteer community organizer with Aboriginal Youth Opportunities (AYO!). He is currently working on a plan to end youth homelessness.