Fresh on the heels of our Indigenizing Media event with Red Rising Magazine on Feb. 4, we have another fantastic Speakers Series event in the works. On March 17, we’re partnering with the UWSA and Grass Routes Sustainability Festival to present Water and Indigenous Women’s Wisdom. The discussion will feature speakers Freda Huson and Chickadee Richard, as well as a water ceremony. Check out the back page for more details. 

There are many issues that we can cover in The Uniter, but there’s only so much we can say, even in a cover feature. And it’s important that these conversations continue beyond the page. As much as we strive to include as many voices as possible, we don’t know who we’re missing until we go out and meet them. 

During the Indigenizing Media event, we were lucky to receive the wisdom of not only the speakers, but of fellow attendees, those who took to the mic and shared their stories as well. We put faces to names and made new friends. 

While we hope that the stories told in these pages open up new worlds and perspectives, we can’t stop there. True learning happens in community, and through these events and partnerships, we’re working on extending our own community. 

And that community involves you. We prioritize events that are free and open to all, and to minimize barriers that our readers might encounter in attending these events. If we’re missing something, please do let us know. 

We’ve also got some exciting plans in the works for next year’s round of Speakers Series events. Yes, next September may seem like a long way away, but there’s a lot of legwork that goes into bringing exciting and innovative speakers to Winnipeg. 

If you have suggestions for events, there’s always room to join the Speakers Series Committee (which is part of the Mouseland Press). So if you’re excited about what we’ve been doing with Speakers Series, or have some ideas about what it could become, do join the conversation. 

In the meantime, watch for more details on Water and Indigenous Women’s Wisdom, and we hope to see you on the 17th.

– Anastasia Chipelski

Published in Volume 70, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 3, 2016)