Indigenous women celebrated at graduation gala

Victoria McIntosh clutches the graduation cap her daughter beaded for her, and the jacket she wore on the first day she attended residential school.

The 66-year-old woman from Sagkeeng First Nation has just graduated from the University of Manitoba with a master’s degree in education after starting university when she was 50.

“I want to say to all those survivors of the residential school, the ones that didn’t make it, this is for you,” she told reporters. “That first step is always going to be the hardest, and when you take that last step, you’re going to be glad you took that first step.”

McIntosh was one of more than 250 Indigenous women honoured by the Manitoba government Thursday during the first annual gala to celebrate graduates, held at a downtown hotel. The honourees included high school, college and university grads. The event was paid for by Onashowewin Inc., an Indigenous restorative justice non-profit. The cost of the event wasn’t released.

From her first day in a residential school, when she was four years old, McIntosh knew she wanted to be a teacher. She said she wants to use her experience to teach young people how to overcome obstacles and use their voices for change.

McIntosh remembers a conversation with her mother in which she encouraged her to push through university.

“She said ‘if you’re going to do it, go all the way to the end of the journey,’” McIntosh said.

McIntosh hopes to continue that journey by working on her PhD at the U of M.

Bailee Hatch, 19, was honoured for graduating from St. John’s High School in Winnipeg. She had a beaded graduation cap made by her aunt to match her green grad dress.

While the actual graduation day didn’t seem like a “big deal,” she said she’s happy to finish school despite having a learning disability.

“I’m glad I’m not the only Indigenous person graduating,” Hatch told reporters.

She loved cooking Kraft Dinner and hot dogs as a child, which sparked her dream to become a chef. Hatch hopes to go to culinary school and eventually open a restaurant.

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said the province wanted to honour Indigenous women who graduate because, when Indigenous women are mentioned, it’s often about the harmful experiences they have endured. Their accomplishments are overlooked, she said.

“It shouldn’t be lost on anybody that Manitoba is ground zero for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people,” Fontaine said. “If you want to effect change in Indigenous women’s lives and in our communities, you can’t always just focus on this.”

Fontaine said she expects the new graduates do transformative work in the community.

“Some of them are going to become entrepreneurs. Some of them are going to become involved in politics. You can only imagine the growth of that over the next five to 10 to 20 years,” she said.

“It’s really important to celebrate Indigenous women whenever we have the opportunity.”

matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca