NOTICE: Today’s event has been postponed due to weather conditions; please stay tuned for details on a rescheduled date. Read a message from TRC Executive Director Charlotte Bacon to students on Facebook.
The Feb. 25 discussion about the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth & Reconciliation Commission at the University of Maine in Orono, has been cancelled, due to weather conditions. The event had been planned for the the Senior Skulls Room on the 3rd floor of the Memorial Union. It will be rescheduled in March.
Wabanaki students will be again invited to take part in a conversation about the Commission’s work with Native communities and to meet TRC Executive Director Charlotte Bacon and Research Coordinator Rachel George.
Charlotte’s background is in writing and teaching: she has published five works of fiction, has written for The New York Times and was a tenured professor of English at the University of New Hampshire. But it is her commitment to telling and listening to stories, and working with students of all ages that drew her to work with the TRC. She believes that telling one’s truth can lead to deep healing, for individuals and for communities.
A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University, Charlotte has had the good fortune to live and work in villages in India, Indonesia and Bhutan.
Rachel completed her master of arts in genocide studies at the University of Amsterdam in July 2013. Her studies were primarily focused on transitional justice and, more specifically, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and its efforts at reconciliation for indigenous peoples. Within this work, she examined the strength and feasibility of Canada’s latest endeavor in reconciliation and drew attention to where the Canadian TRC has been benefiting indigenous peoples, and where it has become a manifestation of affirmative repair.
A young indigenous scholar from Vancouver, British Columbia, Rachel is a member of the Ahousaht First Nation who has grown into an advocate for indigenous rights. Rachel has a genuine and enthusiastic commitment to strengthening the voices of indigenous peoples, and seeking methods of redress that are complementary to indigenous needs and rights.
